The Furies
by TMM1205
Summary: Noah Bennet, under The Company's thumb again finds help in the unlikely form of Victoria Pratt's twin daughters. As they try to stop the evil released from "Pandora's Box" they also work together to bring down The Company that's destroyed all their lives
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: The Sins of the Fathers: Part One

August 20, 1976

Maury Parkman sat in the pew of the small Catholic church in Queens, smiling to himself as he studied his latest quarry. "She's perfect." He whispered.

Adam Munroe raised an eyebrow at Maury, shaking his head slightly. "So THAT'S what we're doing here this bloody early in the morning." He turned to Daniel Linderman, elbowing him and smirking. "Someone's in heat again, I do believe. Silly me for thinking that our old friend just wanted to get closer to God."

Daniel chuckled under his breath, regarding Maury with an amused expression, his blue eyes twinkling. "So you really think you can convince this one to slip off with you as well, eh?"

"There's not a woman I can't have when I put my mind to it." Maury concentrated on the woman sitting a few pews ahead of them, licking his lips. She was slight of build, with dark brown eyes and auburn hair. Maury watched as she listened to the priest's sermon with a rapt expression on her face, nodding at his words as she clutched her rosary. "And I love the pious ones the best, especially when they're married, and most especially when they're redheads." He nodded at the man sitting next to her. He was tall and broad-shouldered with dark hair. "He looks enough like me, right? I'll be able to get away with it if I knock her up, don't you think?"

Adam pursed his lips. "Don't be daft, he doesn't look a bit like you." Teasingly, he grinned at Maury. "He's attractive."

"You know what I mean." Maury rolled his eyes. "Dark hair and eyes, similar build, right?"

"This is ridiculous." Adam sighed. "Haven't you done this enough by now?"

"It's an evolutionary imperative, just like Danny-boy over here mentioned once." Maury nodded to Linderman. "We are the next step in the evolution of man and it's our duty to spread our DNA as far and as wide as we can."

"You have a point." Adam shook his head, trying not to smirk. "And you're certainly trying to spread yours around as much as you can."

"You'd better believe it." Maury nodded with a self-satisfied grin on his face.

"But be warned" Adam hissed in his ear "the moment you try to pass on your idiotic DNA through Victoria will be the day I tear your nuts off and feed them to you for supper. She's mine, understand?"

"She barely knows you exist." Maury shifted in his seat nervously, refusing to meet Adam's icy stare.

"For now, but she'll give in to me soon." Adam nodded as he continued to regard Maury with a furious look on his face. "In fact, if she doesn't soon enough, I'll be requiring your help in that matter."

"Sure, sure, Adam, whatever you say." Maury shrank in his pew, cowed by the dangerous gleam in his friend's eyes. "If you need my help with Vicki, you just say the word, man."

"Good boy." Maury flinched as Adam patted him on the shoulder before turning back to the woman in front of them. "So do you really think you can get this one to be your love slave for the afternoon?"

"You kidding me?" Maury nodded. "I can read her thoughts. She's praying for a child right now, begging the Virgin Mother to allow her to become pregnant. Apparently she and her husband have been trying for quite a while now. Who am I to deny her what she really needs? All it'll take from me will be a few mental shoves in her direction and she'll be all over my crotch like a fat kid on cake."

"Oh, I can't wait to see this one." Adam turned to Daniel again. "Like a fat kid on cake. I think he's thinking of his last birthday party, Danny."

"And what of the child you think will come of this little liaison?" Daniel asked Maury, ignoring Adam. "Will you even acknowledge it, bring it home to play with darling little Matthew?"

Maury rolled his eyes. "Who cares? I guess I'll try to find a way to keep the tabs on the little nipper, maybe. Hell, I haven't kept tabs on the other women I've boned to see if THEY'VE suddenly found themselves in the family way, why should this broad be any different?"

Daniel's eyes narrowed as the priest finished his sermon. The woman stepped out of her pew and walked to the altar, kneeling in front of it as she prayed fervently, her eyes closed as she nodded her head, her lips moving with her prayers. She stood and lit a candle, praying over that before joining her husband to leave the church. As Maury concentrated on her, Daniel watched as she stood up straighter, her brow furrowing. She blinked for a moment, dazed before walking out of the church, her arm linked through her husband's. "You never know which child could be different from the next." He mused to himself.

Two hours later, Maury lay on the bed of the seedy hotel room he'd gotten before going to church. Checking his watch, he smirked. "Oh come ON already!" He grinned as he heard a hesitant knock on the door. "Showtime." He stood and walked to the door, opening it as he leered at the woman standing in front of him. "Hello."

She bit her lip nervously, her voice quavering as she spoke. "I don't know why I'm here, but I saw you at church earlier and-"

Maury quickly silenced her with a finger to her lips. "Come in." He led her into the room, smiling as she offered little resistance. "You saw me and had to have me, right?"

The woman blushed and looked away. "I just felt this need to see you, I don't know why."

"I do. It's because you're a dirty, dirty girl, isn't it?"

The woman's eyes widened for a moment. "No, I'm not, I'm-" she stammered and blushed "-I'm a good woman and I love my husband and-"

"-and you want a baby." Maury's eyes bored into hers as he approached her. "You want a baby and your husband's been rather lacking in providing one." He smirked as the woman slowly backed away from him. "What would you say if I told you that I'm willing to give you a child today, right now?"

"That's adultery!" She gasped, scandalized as she stared at him. "I would have a bastard, a child that wasn't my husband's and-" She screwed up her mouth as if she'd been given something disgusting to eat. "-I love my husband! I'm leaving right now!"

_You're not going anywhere, you're going to stay here and show me just how dirty you are. _Maury pushed out at her mind with his own, grinning as she stopped dead in her tracks, her hand hovering over the doorknob. _You're going to turn around and come to this bed with me. You're going to fuck me like you've never fucked your husband, in the light of day completely naked instead of late at night with all of the lights off and your nightgown simply hiked up to your waist. You're going to do things with me that you'd slap your husband for suggesting you do to him, if he had the balls to suggest it in the first place and you're going to love every minute of it because in the end, you're going to go home pregnant._ "Stay." Maury whispered to her. "What you want, what you need, it's not a sin."

The woman turned to him, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I just want a child."

"I know you do." Maury's eyes glittered as he studied her, his eyes skimming over her body. She was dressed in an ankle length skirt and a long-sleeved shirt that was buttoned up to her neck. He walked towards her and reached out, slowly unbuttoning her shirt as he smiled softly at her. His smile widened as she moaned softly, leaning against the door. "Come to bed." He whispered in her ear. "Show me that you're really a dirty, dirty little girl at heart."

Two hours later, Maury lay in bed naked, watching with satisfaction as the woman climbed out of bed and pulled her clothes on. "Anyone ever tell you that you've got a hot body? You really shouldn't keep it covered up."

The woman blushed and ducked her head down as she pulled her clothes on quickly. "No one's ever said that." She whispered.

"Not even your husband? What a shame." Maury sat up and crawled across the mattress until he reached her, nibbling on her bare waist as she trembled. "Do you have any idea how sexy you are?"

She closed her eyes and moaned, the clothes in her hands forgotten as Maury stroked her waist. "You think so?"

"Yeah, I do." Maury quickly let her go, smirking as she whimpered. "And you were fantastic in bed, Honey."

"You think I'll have a baby now?" She asked him as she turned to face him, her expression filled with hope.

"Who knows?" Maury stretched out on the mattress again, smiling up at her. "Maybe you should come here ever day for a week and meet up with me. We could do this a few more times just to make sure."

"Maybe." She stared at the ground. "What do I tell my husband?"

"What you told him today. Tell him you went to the movies or that you went to church to pray more for that baby you've both been wanting." Maury sat up, concentrating on her again as he pushed out with his mind. "And after you get pregnant, as far as you'll remember, you really DID spend a week going to the movies and praying for a baby extra hard. Once that pregnancy test comes up positive, as far as you'll know it's your husband's and your prayers were finally answered." Maury nodded as she stared off into space, her eyes glazed over.

"I'll forget you even existed." She whispered, her voice far away.

"That's right, Doll. You won't even remember Maury Parkman at all." Maury grinned.

"Okay." She finished dressing and turned to go to the door. She turned back to Maury, her brow furrowing. "Don't you even want to know MY name?" She asked.

"Sure, why not?" He shrugged, a bored look on his face.

"It's Virginia. Virginia Gray."

* * *

June 3, 1977 

Daniel Linderman slipped into the hospital in Queens, weaving his way down the halls until he found the maternity ward. Nodding and smiling as he walked down the hall to the nursery, he spotted the man he'd seen in church, the man whose wife had spent a week rutting with Maury Parkman every afternoon a little more than nine months earlier. Smirking, Daniel nodded to the gentleman as he stood beside him at the nursery window, staring at the newborns. "Which one is yours?" He asked, smiling genially at the man.

Andrew Gray nodded to the small infant swaddled in blue directly in front of him. The infant screamed loudly, his face turning red as he squirmed in his bassinette, his dark hair sticking straight up on the top of his head. "That's my boy." Andrew whispered proudly. "The wife and I have named him Gabriel."

Daniel nodded as he studied the newborn. "You must be so proud." With a mischievous twinkle he added. "He looks JUST like you."

* * *

November 2, 1977 

Angela Petrelli rushed into a diner in Manhattan, shivering from the cold blast of wind that followed her inside. As she tugged off her gloves, she spotted her friend seated in a booth near the door. "Victoria!" Angela walked over to her and slid into a seat across from her. "Kaito called just before you did and told me what happened, you must be so upset!" She sighed. "But must you quit your research? You've been coming along so well with your experiments with the virus. Don't let an ass like Adam stop you!" She reached out and touched the scrape on Victoria's left cheek, clucking under her tongue. "You'll need to put something on that, make sure it doesn't scar."

Victoria pulled her head back away from Angela's hand. "Promise me that you didn't have ANYTHING to do with what Adam tried today."

Angela's eyes widened as she blinked innocently. "Of course I had nothing to do with that. What on earth kind of person do you think I am, anyway?"

"You'd better be telling me the truth." Victoria slumped in her seat, shaking her head.

"Is THAT why you called me to meet you here while sounding so freaked out and frantic over the phone?" Angela looked away. "I'm rather offended."

"That's not why I called you, I just wanted to make sure that you weren't in cahoots with Adam before I told you this." Victoria sighed as she sat up straight. "Adam's attack isn't the only reason I'm quitting the research. Angela, what I've been creating in that lab is dangerous. The strain of virus that Adam wanted is so powerful and deadly that it could easily obliterate the human population, both of our kind and the normals. I don't want something like that released. I don't want to have to tell my children one day that I caused the destruction of most of humanity, if they even lived through that destruction in the first place."

"What children?" Angela asked, confused.

Victoria lowered her head, fiddling with the menu that lay unopened in front of her. "The children I'm carrying. I'm pregnant, Angela, pregnant with twins. My doctor confirmed it yesterday morning. I heard the two heartbeats myself." She looked up at Angela, her eyes sparkling with tears. "They're Adam's."

"You can't be serious!" Angela stared at her in shock. "There's a clinic that I can take you to-"

"-I'm not getting an abortion, Angela." Victoria frowned at her. "I'm having these children-"

"-ADAM'S children." Angela hissed. "God only knows what they'd be like!"

"They're also MINE!" Victoria nodded. "And he'll never have anything to do with them. I'm going to raise them on my own, teach them to be good, strong, productive members of society while I try and curb any world-domination tendencies they'll inherit from the sperm-donor who knocked me up."

"It'll be a gamble, but if you think you can do this-" Angela sighed, her voice trailing off as she shrugged with resignation. "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"Wanna be a godmother?" Victoria asked, a soft smile playing on her lips.

Angela laughed softly. "Adam? Really? How?"

Victoria shrugged. "It was about two months ago. He came by with a bottle of merlot and after a few glasses I just felt this need, like I was simply compelled to sleep with him."

"Maury." Angela muttered, her mouth screwing up.

"Yeah, I think so." Victoria smirked. "Adam's been after me for a while. I should have known that if I turned him down enough, he'd get his lap dog to 'convince' me to sleep with him." She sighed. "I suppose I should have kept my guard up."

"I suppose so." Angela looked around coyly for a moment before leaning forward conspiratorially. "So, was he any good?"

Victoria smiled slyly. "Oh, you have NO idea."

* * *

May 31, 1983 

"UNCLE DANIEL!" Daniel Linderman beamed as he stepped out of his Mercedes and knelt to embrace the two little girls that tackled him at a dead-run.

"Hello my darlings!" He kissed them both on the cheek as he stood, smiling down at them. "How does it feel to be five years old today?"

The two girls nodded in unison as they looked up at him. He noticed how their honey-blond hair was starting to darken, taking on a reddish hue in the sunlight. "It feels good, Uncle Daniel." One of them piped up, her dark blue eyes twinkling.

"And which one are you again?" He asked, half-teasing as he stared at their identical faces.

She sighed with exasperation. "It's Justine, silly!"

"Oh, silly me!" He ruffled her hair as he turned to the other one who studied him with more interest, her eyes a shade paler than her twin's as she observed him. He was taken back for a moment as she watched him, realizing how similar her eyes were to Adam's while her twin's were more similar to her mother's. "That must make YOU Miriam!"

"Well, of course it does." Miriam nodded. "You see any other twins to Jussy running around here?"

"You're an . . . articulate one." Daniel studied her more closely as she stared up at him unblinkingly. She and her twin sister both resembled their mother, with their delicate features and their turned-up noses. Miriam's eyes and expression as she watched him showed the keen intelligence she possessed and he thought he could see quite a bit of Adam in the calculating way she studied him. He smiled slightly as he nodded. "Quite articulate indeed."

"I know." Miriam nodded. "Mommy says that it's because she didn't baby-talk us when we were little, she talked to us like little adults."

"And where IS your Mommy?" Daniel asked. He turned, following Miriam's eyes as they darted behind him. He smiled as Victoria stepped into view from her garden. "Victoria." He walked to her and hugged her tightly. "Darling, it's been much too long."

Victoria nodded as she hugged her old friend back. "Yes, it has." She turned to smile down at her daughters. "Well, do you have anything else to say to your godfather?"

"Where are our presents?" Miriam asked. "It's our birthday and we get presents, right?"

Victoria sighed with exasperation as Linderman chuckled. "That's NOT what I wanted you to say to him."

"Welcome to our home, Uncle Daniel." Justine said in a sing-song voice.

"Thank you My Dear." He beamed at Justine. He turned to Miriam, his eyes twinkling. "And you're right as well. I have wonderful presents for the both of you, something special for two special little girls."

Daniel accepted the cup of tea that Victoria offered him, sipping it slowly as he stared out at the garden. "It's a beautiful home you've made here, Victoria."

"Thank you." Victoria sat at the patio table across from him. "Maine's really a beautiful place to live. It's peaceful, just the place to raise the girls."

"I think so, too." Daniel mused. He glanced at Victoria over his cup of tea. "How ARE the girls?"

"Fine." She nodded. As she noticed Daniel's look, she smirked. "They haven't manifested yet, as far as I know."

"I see." Daniel sighed. "They will. With two powerful parents, they'll manifest as sure as night follows day."

"Don't mention their father to them." She hissed. "They don't know much about him and that's how I'd like to keep it."

"Oh?" Daniel raised an eyebrow. "And when they ask about their daddy, what do you tell them?"

"I tell them the truth. I tell them that they don't have a 'daddy', they have a father who was the worst mistake of my life. Then I tell them that I'd make that mistake time and again because it gave me them. I tell them that their father is in jail for doing a very bad thing." She glared at Daniel. "He IS still locked up, right?"

"Of course he is, don't be silly." He stirred his tea slowly, letting it cool watching Victoria out of the corner of his eye. "He knows about the girls." As she gasped, Daniel shrugged. "Bob let it slip one day. He started taunting him about being a father and not even being able to see them."

"Idiot!" Victoria slammed her hand down on the table. "That-" She glanced over her shoulder, watching the girls playing in a flower bed, making sure they weren't listening to her "-fucking idiot! How dare he tell Adam about them?"

"He already suspected." Daniel sipped his tea. "Apparently he'd seduced you with the hopes that you would conceive."

"If he ever escapes and tries to see my girls-"

"-He won't." Daniel frowned. "But he does want to see them, Victoria."

"He can want in one hand and piss in the other. He'll never lay eyes on Miri and Jussy, not if I have anything to say about it."

"Victoria-" Daniel started to speak and closed his mouth as she glared at him, raising her finger.

"Don't. Don't tell me that he has rights or that letting him meet them is the kind or humane thing to do or-" she shook her head "-he tried to destroy the human population. If he'd had it his way, I could have died before his daughters were even born." She frowned as the girls started shrieking. "What in the hell?" She stood and screamed as Miriam backed away, a rattlesnake clinging to the calf of her small leg. "OH MY GOD!" Victoria bolted towards her daughters as the snake let go of Miriam and quickly slithered away. Miriam collapsed on the ground, shivering with pain as Justine knelt beside her. Victoria turned to Linderman, her face a mask of terror. "DANIEL!"

As Victoria and Daniel ran to Miriam's side, they froze as they watched Justine place a hand on her sister's leg. Victoria gasped, turning pale as the swelling in Miriam's leg suddenly began to subside. Miriam's tears lessened, her breathing returning to normal as Justine sat up and smiled at her mother. "I fixed Mir, Mommy! Did you see me?"

As Daniel turned away, a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth, Victoria nodded, her bright blue eyes filling with tears. "Yeah, I saw you, Baby." Her legs shaking, she slowly walked to Justine and knelt beside her as Miriam sat up and turned to her mother. Victoria hugged Miriam tightly as she stared at her other child. "How did you do that, Sweetie?"

"I just knew that I had to. I knew I could do it after I hugged Uncle Daniel." Justine shrugged. "When I hugged him, I knew that he could heal people that were hurt and now I could do it too."

"I see." Victoria took a deep breath and glanced at Miriam. "Can you do that too, Baby?"

"Of course I can." Miriam nodded. "When I hugged him, I realized I could heal people also."

Victoria stared at Miriam for a moment and then reached into her pocket, pulling out a small pocketknife. As Daniel looked on with interest, Victoria unfolded the knife with a shaky hand and cut her thumb, wincing as blood welled up along the cut. She held her thumb out to Miriam. "Show me, Honey."

Miriam reached out and took Victoria's hand in hers, smiling as the cut quickly healed. "See? I told you so. I can also see stuff like you can, really super-small stuff that most people can't see without a microscope. Jussy can too."

"I see." Victoria tried to smile at her daughters as she put the knife away. She reached out, placing a hand on each of her daughters' heads. "Go and play, Darlings." As the girls jumped up and ran off to play, Victoria turned to Daniel, her face turning even whiter than before. "Oh my God."

"They've manifested." Daniel whispered proudly. "Empathic mimicry, from what they've described."

"Apparently through touch." Victoria slowly made her way back to the patio, collapsing into a chair. "Good lord."

"The lord had nothing to do with it." Daniel said gravely. He turned and watched the girls run through the garden, laughing and giggling. "God, can you imagine how powerful they'll be one day?"

"Can you imagine the havoc they could wreak if they're not careful?" Victoria's voice was weak with shock and fear as she watched her daughters. "If they're not taught to respect their powers and to respect humanity as a whole-" Victoria closed her eyes as a lone tear escaped and trickled down her cheek. "-oh my God."

"Yes, isn't it glorious?" Daniel smiled proudly as he watched the twins.

* * *

May 31, 1988 

"Victoria!" Bob Bishop greeted her as she walked into the Hartsdale facility with her daughters in tow. He hugged her quickly before turning to the twins, dressed in identical jumpers with their hair pulled back into ponytails. "And you two must be Miriam and Justine!"

He frowned as one of the twins rolled her eyes. "No, we're some other lady's twins that she snatched off of the street!"

"Miriam!" Victoria cuffed her in the back of the head. "What have I told you about that mouth?"

"Sorry, Mom." The girl shrugged and looked away.

Bob looked down at the twins, noticing their resemblance to Victoria. They had her rounded cheeks, wide-eyes and heart-shaped mouth. With their strawberry-hued hair and vibrant blue eyes, they were identical to one another in looks, but it didn't take a rocket scientist to see that the girls were not identical in mannerisms or temperament. It took a simple glance to tell that Miriam was the rebellious one, the dominant child of the duo. Justine smiled up at him with eyes that sparkled warmly. He smiled back at her, noticing the way she leaned against her mother, suddenly shy. Nothing about Miriam was shy at all. Bob watched her as she looked around the lobby of the Hartsdale facility, her eyes scanning every surface of the room with interest. He felt a shiver run up his spine as he realized how much she resembled her father at that moment, the calculating look she appraised everything with. He shuddered more as her unflinching gaze returned to him, her eyes boring into his as she regarded him haughtily. He took a deep breath and tried to smile at her, his smile quickly fading as she raised an eyebrow at him, a move that was classic Adam Munroe. Unnerved, he cleared his throat and turned back to Victoria. "Daniel told me that he'd finally convinced you to bring them here to see Him."

Victoria grimaced and stroked Justine's hair, twining a strand around her finger nervously for a moment. "They've been getting into a bit of trouble in school lately, Miriam especially. I decided that perhaps they needed to see what would happen to someone who didn't follow the rules, someone like us, like them."

"We're different, we shouldn't have any rules." Miriam pouted.

"It is BECAUSE we're different that we should follow the rules even more than normal people." Victoria sighed and shook her head as she looked up at Bob. "I want them to meet him and see what happens when you think that being special means that you make your OWN rules." Victoria looked sternly down at her daughter. "Unless you want to end up like the man you're about to meet, you need to start minding your p's and q's, both of you."

"Yes Mama." Justine nodded, looking raptly up at her mother.

Victoria smiled down at her daughter, then looked at her oldest child. "Well?"

"Fine." Miriam sighed. "The sooner we see him, the sooner we can leave and go to FAO Schwartz."

"Well then, follow me." Bob led them down a hallway, glancing back over his shoulder at Victoria as they followed him. "Have you heard? I've been given a promotion in Odessa."

"I've heard." Victoria nodded. "Congratulations."

"Thanks." Bob smiled at her. "I thought I'd fly up here though for this. It's been too long, Victoria."

"Yes, it has." Victoria nodded. "How's the wife?"

"She's good." Bob sighed. "We have a daughter now as well. She's six. Her name is Elle."

"That's great." Victoria glanced over at Bob. "Has she-?"

"No, not yet." Bob shook his head. "I'm waiting to see what happens though. I'm sure she'll manifest before long, just like your girls there." He watched the girls as they walked ahead of them. "How much do they know?" He asked Victoria.

"Enough." Victoria nodded. "But they don't know who he is." She mentioned pointedly.

"Who IS he?" Miriam turned around and stared at her mother, intrigued.

Victoria blushed and looked away from her daughter's penetrating gaze. "Just an old friend."

As they were led down a maze of hallways, Victoria's heart pounded as she thought about her daughters meeting their father for the first, and as far as she was concerned, only time in their lives. She looked over at Bob. "He knows that he's not allowed to touch them, right?"

"I've told him repeatedly." Bob nodded. "I told him what they can do and I've told them that he's not allowed near them. He knows that he will be punished if he even THINKS about touching them."

"What'll he do if he touches us?" Miriam asked.

"Is it like a bad touch?" Justine stared up at Victoria, her eyes widening. "Like when you told us to stay away from strangers?"

Victoria shook her head. "It's not like that, Baby. I just don't want you girls to get his power."

"What kind of power is it?" Miriam turned around again, her eyes narrowing as she studied her mother. "Is it something cool?"

"It's not a power either of you girls need, so stay away from him, got it?" Victoria's voice was suddenly harsh and jagged as she reprimanded her daughter. At the surprised look on Miriam's face, Victoria sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so-" she sighed "Honestly Miriam, why do you ask so many questions? Why can't you just take what I tell you at face value?"

"You always tell us that we'll never learn anything if we don't ask questions." Miriam shrugged. "I'm just trying to learn stuff."

"You don't need to learn about this man, trust me." Victoria's heart stopped as she heard singing down the hall, then began to race as she recognized the voice.

_Thank heaven, for little girls  
__For little girls get bigger every day  
__Thank heaven, for little girls  
__They grow up in the most delightful ways_

"Who's that?" Miriam asked, her eyes sparkling with interest. "Is that who we're going to meet?" Before Victoria or Bob could answer her, she bolted down the hall, running toward the sound of the voice.

"Miri, wait!" Victoria called after her, suddenly regretting ever bringing her daughters anywhere near this building.

_Those little eyes so helpless and appealing  
__One day will flash and send you crashing through the ceiling_

Miriam stopped as she reached a window and turned to look inside of it. A young, blond-haired man lay stretched out on a couch, his arms crossed behind his head as he watched a kung-fu movie on television with the sound turned down. His cell was well-decorated and looked almost like a bedroom, except for the fact that the only ways into the cell were either through a heavily bolted, thick steel door off to the side of the room, and a small slot in the glass wall she stood in front of, to allow access for a food tray. Miriam cocked her head to the side and studied him closely as he stopped singing and turned to smile at her. His pale blue eyes sparkled as he sat up, raising an eyebrow at her. "Hello."

Miriam frowned as she watched him. "Hello."

"Which one are you, Miriam or Justine?" The man asked.

Miriam shook her head. "How did you know my name?"

"Isn't a man SUPPOSED to know his daughters' names?" Adam purred.

"ADAM!" Victoria caught up to Miriam and glared at him through the glass of the cell. "How DARE you tell her that!"

Adam chuckled softly as he tried to look innocent. "I'm sorry, I thought she and her sister knew." He winked lasciviously at Victoria. "Hello Victoria Darling, you are still just as stunning as ever." He grinned as Victoria ignored him, pulling Miriam away from the glass wall of his cell. "And I thought I was the one who wasn't supposed to age."

"You're not my father, you can't be. You're too young!" Miriam smirked. She looked up at her mother, rolling her eyes. "How are we supposed to believe anything THIS one has to say? He's obviously a big, fat liar!"

Victoria sighed and knelt beside Miriam, Justine leaning against her while stealing furtive glances at Adam. "He's really your father, Honey, yours and Justine's."

"OH! So you're MIRIAM!" Adam chuckled. "Oh, I've DEFINITELY heard about you. You're the one that takes after me the most!"

Ignoring Adam, Miriam shook her head at Victoria. "He's too YOUNG to be our father. Now YOU'RE lying too!"

"Your mother's not lying in the least." Miriam turned to glare at Adam as he leaned against the glass wall of his cell, his arms crossed as he smiled down at her. "I might look as young as springtime, but I'm actually as old as Methuselah, older yet." He knelt down until he was eye level with Miriam. "I'm over four hundred years old, my pet. Your darling mum wasn't the cradle robber, I was."

"Four hundred years old?" Miriam scoffed as she walked to the glass and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Adam smiled as he realized how similar her stance was to one he'd just taken. "That's silly! How can ANYONE be four hundred years old?"

"By not being able to die." Adam smiled softly at her as Justine joined her at the window, both of them staring at him, wide-eyed. "That's my power, you see. I can heal from practically any injury, save decapitation or a gun shot to the head. After a while, my body stopped aging."

"Wow." Justine whispered softly. "So you're going to live forever?"

"If I'm a good boy and stay away from guns and swords, yes." Adam's eyes darted from one girl to the other, scrutinizing both of them. "Good lord how you both look like your mother. It's remarkable how beautiful you both are. You could both be her doppelgangers." He pointed to Miriam. "Except for you. You have my eyes."

Miriam sighed. "How can I have your eyes and not Jussy?"

"I don't know, but you do." Adam shrugged. "And I understand that not only are you both identical in looks, but you are identical in powers as well. If you touch someone, you absorb their power, correct?"

"Adam-" Victoria's voice was edged with a warning.

"That's right." Justine nodded. "If you have a power and we touch you, we have it then too."

"Forever?" Adam asked.

"I guess so." Justine shrugged. She turned back to Victoria. "Why are we here again?"

"Adam, you were told what to talk about with them before they arrived." Bob reminded him.

"Fine." Adam sighed as he turned his gaze back to his daughters. "I understand that the two of you have been misbehaving a bit lately."

"Just me, mostly." Miriam rolled her eyes. "Justine just gets blamed most of the time because everyone's too stupid to tell us apart."

"I can't see how anyone who met you for more than a moment or two would have ANY trouble remembering who was who." Adam chuckled as he regarded Miriam with an amused expression. "So you've been the naughty one, eh?"

"Yeah, so?"

"What exactly have you been doing?"

Miriam gave him a bored look and shrugged. "I don't do my homework and I talk back to the teacher. I've gotten detention five times in the last month." She announced proudly.

"I have too." Justine frowned and looked away. "Because Miriam told the teacher to shut the hell up and she thought it was me."

Adam bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. "Why on earth would you tell a teacher that?"

"Because she just keeps repeating the same things over and over in class. A noun is a person, place or thing. We. Get. It. Move ON already! I got bored and she just kept droning on and on and on in class so I finally snapped and told her to shut it. I'm too smart for that class anyway. Jussy and I both are. At least in detention when I'm given extra work, I have something interesting to do. And then, when we go outside to play, the teacher keeps making everyone get together to play the same stupid game. I'd rather just skip rope and do what I want to do, not what she wants the rest of us to do. I get more exercise doing that anyway than dodging some stupid ball that an overgrown mouth-breather tosses at me because he can't work up the nerve to tell me that he likes me." She sighed. "Not that it would matter if he told me anyway, I'd rather die than be that schmuck's girlfriend."

"Quite the opinionated little mite, isn't she?" Adam glanced up at Victoria.

"Mom's always taught us both that we have to have an opinion on something. She's also always taught us to learn as much as we can." Justine nodded. "She said that the more we know about the world, the better we'll be able to navigate in it when we get older."

"And she's absolutely right." Adam nodded. "But you also need to follow the rules."

"Why?" Miriam's nose crinkled up in disgust. "The rules were made by people who aren't like us. Why should the rules apply?"

"Because if you don't follow the rules, people like them will find out that people like you and I and your twin sister and your mommy and even Mr. Bishop there exist." Adam noticed the sly way Miriam's eyes cut towards Bob for a moment. "And when they find out that we can do things they can't, they're going to get scared and jealous. Normal people fear what they don't know or understand, my dear. Do you know what they do when they get scared?"

"Stupid things." Miriam nodded.

"Like lock people away, or kill them." Justine whispered.

"Exactly." Adam nodded. "And there are dangerous people out there in the world, both with powers and without, who would love to take advantage of two powerful little girls like you. That's why you must be careful and you MUST follow the rules. I didn't follow the rules and look what's become of me. I've been locked away by my own peers."

"What did you DO, anyway?" Justine asked.

Adam smiled softly at her. "I tried to make my own rules and play God. No man, no matter who he is or what he can do is allowed to do that. I tried to hurt a lot of people by making my own rules, that's why I'm locked away." He nodded to both of them. "And I'll be locked in here for the rest of my life."

"Meaning you'll be locked in here forever." Miriam said, her voice grave.

"Exactly. A life sentence for someone like me is very dreadful indeed, don't you agree?" He smiled again as the two girls nodded. "So now you see why you should behave yourselves?" As the two girls nodded again, he sighed wistfully. "What I wouldn't give to hug you both, just for a moment."

"Absolutely not!" Victoria gasped. "Adam-"

"-I know! I know!" He stood, holding up his hands. "No reason to make these two immortal just so I can know what it's like to receive a hug from my children." He winked at the girls. "Immortality's not all it's cracked up to be, anyway. Now, run along and behave yourselves, promise? I'd hate to have to look across the hall one day and see one or both of you locked away because you didn't listen to dear old Daddy." As the girls nodded again, he clapped his hands together. "Now, run along. Your mum and I have a few things to say to one another that you two don't need to hear."

"You gonna kiss or something?" Justine giggled.

"You gonna fight?" Miriam's eyes sparkled for a moment at the prospect.

He turned to Justine. "Unfortunately, no." He turned to Miriam. "And heavens no! Why on earth would I ever fight with your mum?"

"Because she kept us from you for ten years?" Miriam reminded him.

"Trust me Darling, I had it coming." Adam sighed. "Now, run along. Daddy loves you."

"If you're expecting us to say it back, we won't because we don't know you enough to love you." Miriam took Justine's hand and slowly walked down the hall to wait by a set of double doors, glancing back over her shoulder as Victoria approached the glass wall.

"Thank you, Adam." Victoria nodded. "But did you HAVE to tell them that you were their FATHER?"

"Do you honestly think they'd believe that 'follow the rules' horseshit if it had come from Joe Blow, My Darling?" Adam smirked. "Not that I think Miriam's going to listen to me one whit. You've got your hands quite full with that one, I must say."

"She has a good heart." Victoria glared at him. "She gets that from me."

"OUCH!" Adam laughed. "You really do look well."

"So do you. You realize this is the last time you'll ever see them, or me?"

"God how I'd love to kiss you goodbye, then." Adam breathed. "I think of you all of the time, remembering that night we spent together-"

"-the night you got me drunk and had Maury probably hanging around outside of my apartment door, pushing me to fuck you?"

"He wasn't there the next morning when we made love again and you said I was the best you'd ever had." Adam winked as Victoria looked away, blushing.

"Don't ask to see them again. Your request won't be granted." Victoria whispered before turning and walking down the hall to her daughters, Bob trailing behind them.

Miriam watched her mother and Bob approaching and glanced behind them towards the glass wall where her father was jailed. Her eyes widened for a moment as she saw something slowly jut out of the food tray slot. Glancing up at her mother, she took off running, ducking and dodging Victoria and Bob's hands as they reached out to stop her and galloped quickly towards Adam's cell to grasp the hand that he had slipped through the slot. The moment she touched her father's hand, she gasped and shuddered, squeezing it as she looked into Adam's eyes. He winked at her. For the first time that day, Miriam finally gave a genuine smile, winking back at him before she was tackled and knocked to the ground by Victoria, her hand wrenched out of Adam's grasp.

"OH GOD!" Victoria struggled to stand as she helped Miriam to her feet. Clutching her daughter's shoulders, she shook her violently. "WHY DID YOU DO THAT? WHY DID YOU TOUCH HIM?"

Victoria's blood ran cold as Miriam calmly looked up at her. "Because I want to live forever."

"Happy Birthday, my Darling Daughter!" Adam crowed as Bob stomped angrily to the cell.

"You're going to pay for that!" Bob shouted. "Kiss this cell goodbye and say hello to Spartan living!"

"It was worth a lifetime of bare walls." Adam beamed. "I got to give my daughter the only gift I could, eternity." As Victoria grabbed Miriam's arm and began to haul her towards the door, he called out to his daughter. "Be sure to pass that on to your sister!"

Bob yelped as Miriam reached out with her free hand, giggling as she grasped his bare hand for a moment before Victoria could pull her away. "Why you little-"

Miriam's giggles turned into peals of laughter as she reached Justine and grasped her hand, passing the newly acquired powers onto her twin. Justine gasped and turned to Bob. "You can make GOLD?"

"MIRIAM!" Victoria moaned as she opened the door to let her daughters through it. Turning to Bob, she shook her head. "I knew I never should have come here."

Bob mopped his brow with a handkerchief, shaking his head. "Those two are going to be trouble." He grumbled.


	2. Chapter 2: The Sins of The Fathers: P2

Chapter Two: The Sins of the Fathers: Part Two

January 9, 1993

"VIRGINIA!" Gabriel Gray looked up from the textbook he was studying in his bedroom, his heart suddenly pounding as he heard his father shouting for his mother as the front door slammed. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he carefully climbed off of his bed, careful not to let the bedsprings squeak as he stood and tiptoed over to his bedroom door. He gulped as he pressed his ear against the door, hoping that his father hadn't just heard about the prank he'd pulled to get away from two of the toughest bullies that had been chasing him that afternoon.

"Andrew?" Gabriel heard his mother's voice ring out from the kitchen. "That you? How was your physical?"

"You wanna know how my fucking physical went?" Gabriel's eyes widened. He'd never heard his father use foul language before. His own mother had shoved a bar of soap in his mouth once for saying 'crap'. "You REALLY wanna know, Ginny?"

"What's with you? What's with the language? How dare you use that foul word in this house! We are a haven for Jesus, not pottymouths!" Virginia's voice sounded shocked.

"Don't give me that pious, holy-roller shit you WHORE!" Gabriel winced as he heard a crash.

"MY CHINA!" Virginia wailed. "Andrew, what in the heck-?"

"NO SPERM COUNT!" Gabriel frowned, his face pressed against the wood grain of his door as Andrew shouted. "Those doctors told me that I had no sperm count, Gin! They said that, odds are, I've always been sterile, so you tell ME how we got that boy in there, huh?"

"Those doctors were obviously wrong. Andy, you're the only man I've ever been with, I swear it!"

"Yeah, right." Gabriel could hear his father breathing hard. "I remember about nine months before Gabe was born, about six weeks before you told me that we were finally gonna have a baby, you were going out somewhere every afternoon. You kept saying that you were at church or at the movies, but now? Now I'm wondering if you weren't just whoring around and got in trouble."

"ANDREW GABRIEL GRAY! HOW DARE YOU?" Gabriel raised an eyebrow, his mind racing as he thought about his father's words. "I never cheated on you, not once. I've never looked at another man, not even movie idols! I was a-" She struggled to speak "-I saved myself for marriage, marriage to YOU! How dare you think that I'd-" Gabriel rolled his eyes as he heard his mother start to sob. "-I've never been with another man, EVER! I prayed for our son, I prayed for months and months for a baby and God finally granted us the grace to have one! He's yours, I swear to God he's yours! If what those doctors told you is true, then Gabriel truly is the miracle I've always believed him to be, he's OUR miracle!" Gabriel listened as his mother's sobs grew louder, then heard his father sigh with resignation.

"Okay, okay, okay, Ginny, I believe you, just stop crying, okay?" Gabriel cracked his bedroom door open and peeked down the hall. He watched as his parents embraced, noticing the way his father's shoulders sagged as he hugged his wife. "I'm sorry."

"You think I'm some sort of-" Virginia gasped for air "-you called me a whore and broke some of my best china!"

"I'll get you some new china, okay? Our anniversary is coming up soon, that'll be my gift to you, all new china, the best I can find, you pick it out and I'll buy it." Andrew Gray's expression and body language showed defeat as he turned and caught his son watching them. Gabriel looked away, trying to avoid the whipped-dog look on his father's prematurely lined face, his once jet-black hair almost completely white.

"I'm going to church to pray for your soul after the things you've accused me of!" Virginia pushed away from Andrew and turned to grab her coat. She spotted Gabriel lurking in his doorway and glared at him, her lips pursed together. "God doesn't like eavesdroppers either, Gabriel! Also? Tell YOUR FATHER what you did today to those poor Jenkins boys!" She turned on her heel and stomped out of the house, slamming the door behind her.

Andrew Gray sighed, running his fingers through his hair as he turned and slowly walked over to the kitchen table, grabbing a beat-up clock on his way. As he sat down, he nodded to Gabriel. "Come on out, the holy-roller has left the building." As Gabriel walked into the room, Andrew smiled sadly at him. "Tom and Chris Jenkins? Those boys try to beat you up again?"

Gabriel nodded as he sat down beside his father. "I remembered a patch of black ice on the sidewalk outside of Smith's Grocery as I was running from them. I dodged it and hid while they tried to run across it. They fell and busted their heads open."

Andrew smiled sadly at his son as he studied him. At fifteen, he was skinny and short for his age, a target for the local bullies in their Queens neighborhood. His dark brown hair was cut short and was slicked down against his skull with gel that Virginia applied every morning while complaining about his cowlicks. Andrew watched as his son shifted uncomfortably in his chair, waiting to get yelled at, fidgeting with his heavy rimmed glasses that were taped together in the middle. His oxford shirt was untucked from his slacks, a sight that would have sent Virginia into fits if she'd noticed and the too-big sweater vest she'd put out for him to wear the night before hung off of his bony frame. "Hey, better those boys finally get their heads busted open for once instead of you, right?"

Gabriel looked up at him, relieved at his father's joking tone of voice. "You're not mad?"

"Mad? Nah, Son! Some people like the Jenkins boys use brute strength and brawn. They're bullies. You're a smart kid, you used your brains against those motherless bastards. It's about time you got one over on them, right?" Andrew set the clock he'd been working on aside as he stood up. "Get your coat. Your ma made pot roast, but odds are, she overcooked it until its shoe leather again. Let's go have dinner out to celebrate you finally getting one up on those rotten kids."

"What about Mom?" Gabriel asked nervously as he put on his coat.

"Her? Heck, she'll be praying for my soul for a good three or four hours, wearing her knees out on that God-forsaken altar. I'll carve off some of that pot roast and toss it out to the neighborhood cats. Maybe one of them'll get hungry enough to eat that crap. You and I'll go get something good for a change. You need to eat more, put some meat on that little frame. How's Gray's Papaya sound?"

Gabriel grinned. "Sounds good, Dad!"

Andrew turned to him, his eyes filling with tears. "Sounds good to me too," his voice choked for a moment before he could finish speaking "Son."

* * *

October 18, 1994 

"Remember Claude, whatever you do, DON'T touch those girls." Bob paced in front of his office in Odessa as Claude, Noah and The Haitian waited beside him. He turned to The Haitian. "I'd tell you the same thing, but odds are, with your power, you'd just deactivate them the minute they reached for you, right?" The Haitian nodded wordlessly as Bob ran his fingers through what was left of his hair. "It's been over six years since I've seen them."

Noah studied the files in his hands. "Miriam and Justine Pratt, daughters of Victoria Pratt." Noah frowned. "There's not a file on the other one?"

Bob made a face. "I haven't met the other one yet, she's only two, but knowing HER father-" he sighed. "Victoria's an old friend of mine. She's one of the board members of Primatech-"

"-Which means these girls are getting the kid glove treatment, yeah?" Claude asked.

"Yes." Bob frowned and nodded. "The only way Victoria would agree to bring them in for testing was if I promised to treat them as delicately as possible." He spotted a woman being lead down the hall by security, carrying a toddler and flanked by two teenaged girls. "Heads up, here they come!" Bob plastered a smile on his face as he approached them, with Noah, The Haitian and Claude watching. "Victoria! It's been too long." He kissed her on the cheek quickly and turned to stare at the toddler. "And this must be-?"

"-Isabelle." Victoria stroked the child's dark wavy hair as she smiled down at her. The child giggled and cooed, snuggling against her mother's chest as she playfully peeked out at Bob. Bob smiled as he watched her, noticing her wide brown eyes.

"Right." Bob turned to the twins. "You've both, grown."

"Well, that does happen." One of the twins said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Miriam, right?" Bob nodded as the twin rolled her eyes and turned to her twin, smirking with her. He turned to the other twin. "Which makes you Justine!"

"Oooh, your powers of deduction are really something there, Bob-O!" Miriam quipped.

Bob frowned as Claude snorted with laughter behind him. He tried to recover. "Thanks, Miriam." He muttered. He turned to his team. "These are the men that will be testing Miriam and Justine. Their names are Noah Bennet and Claude Raines-"

"-Claude Raines?" Miriam interrupted. "Let me guess, you're an invisible man?" She asked, her eyes sparkling with interest.

"You've got quite the powers of deduction yourself there, Ducks!" Claude winked at her.

Bob sighed. "They'll be testing the twins and I'll be testing Isabelle."

Victoria's eyes narrowed. "You? I thought-"

"-Victoria," Bob smiled kindly at her "you know I'll treat her as if she were one of my own."

Victoria raised an eyebrow. "Hopefully you'll treat her BETTER than you did Elle."

Bob's neck turned red as Claude guffawed behind him. He turned and gave his coworker a warning look. "My staff and I will treat all three of your daughters with care, Victoria." As he reached out to take the toddler, Miriam took the child instead, her eyes narrowing at him as the child squealed happily in her sister's arms. Bob turned to Miriam. "May I take her, please?"

Miriam studied him for a moment before turning her attention to her younger sister. "Mom? Maybe Izzie shouldn't be tested yet. She's only two." She held the child protectively against her, stroking her dark bobbed waves. "She's so little."

"But she has manifested, yes?" Bob asked.

"The girls say that she can read minds." Victoria sighed. "Mainly because they claim that's who they got that power from. I have noticed sometimes-" she shook her head "-when Isabelle is hungry, I can smell what she wants to eat, or start to taste it. I think she can control other aspects of the mind, not just mind-reading."

"Like her father." Bob added.

Victoria's face hardened as the girls both looked away, their lips pursed. "Yes, like Maury." She turned to Miriam. "Let him take Isabelle, Honey."

Miriam ignored her mother as her eyes bored into Bob's. "If anything happens to my baby sister-"

"-Yes, yes." Bob held his hands out for the toddler. "She's going to be fine. You two will be right down the hall from her." Bob raised an eyebrow as Miriam continued to clutch her sister to her chest, staring him down defiantly.

Justine sighed and shook her head. "Oh for Heaven's SAKES, MIR! Give him Izzie already!"

Miriam turned to her mother, her eyes pleading as Victoria rubbed her back and nodded. "It's okay, Sweetie. He's going to take care of her, RIGHT BOB?"

"Of course." Bob nodded. "I'm offended you'd even ask."

"After what happened with Elle, can you blame me?" Victoria snapped.

"Who's Elle? What did he do to her?" Miriam asked.

_Destroyed her mind._ Noah thought to himself. As Miriam turned to him, her eyes wide, he looked away, cursing himself.

Miriam stared down at her sister again and turned to Noah. "Why don't WE get tested by Mr. Bishop and you and Mr. Raines test Izzie?"

"Because Mr. Bennet and Mr. Raines are partners and you two need TWO men testing you in separate rooms!" Bob turned to Victoria, exasperated. "Vicki!"

"Miriam." Victoria wrapped an arm around her daughter's shoulders. "It's okay. Let Mr. Bishop have Isabelle."

Miriam finally sighed and reluctantly handed the child to Bob, her eyes filling with tears as she kissed the toddler's chubby hands. "It's okay, Iz. Juss and I will be right down the hall."

Isabelle twisted around in Bob's arms, holding her hands out to her sisters as he turned to walk away. "MIR-MIR! JUSS-JUSS! SISSY!" She wailed as he walked away with her.

Miriam looked away, her chin trembling as Victoria hugged her. She turned to Bennet and Claude. "Miriam's very attached to her baby sister. She's very protective of her, both of them are, actually." She laughed softly. "Sometimes I feel like I'm more Isabelle's nanny than her mother with these two always pushing me aside to take care of her." She turned to Miriam and wiped away the tears that had started to spill from her eyes. "She's going to be fine, Baby."

Bennet studied the twins closely, smiling to himself. At sixteen they were pretty and resembled their mother a great deal with her delicate features, milky skin and bright blue eyes. Their hair was long and hung down their backs just past their shoulder blades, the shade a pale strawberry blond hue that shimmered like rose gold, even under the fluorescent lights of the office, a mix of their mother's red and blond. He noticed that both of their eyebrows were so light, they seemed almost non-existent on their faces, their eyelashes just as pale, giving them both a perpetually startled appearance. They were of an average height and slender build, both appearing to be about five feet, five inches tall and would probably only gain an inch or two in height before they stopped in a few years, tops. He stepped forward. "Ready to be tested? I promise that Mr. Raines and I will go as easy on you both as we can." He smiled softly at Victoria. "It'll only take a few hours."

"I know." Victoria gave Miriam a final, reassuring squeeze before turning to Justine and kissing her on the cheek. "Be good, both of you." She turned to Miriam. "Especially you. Please try to behave."

"Okay Mom." Miriam nodded, her eyes still staring down the hallway that Bob had walked down with Isabelle a few moments earlier. Bennet noticed the calculating way she studied everything, suddenly realizing that her delicate features and demure appearance belied a very strong-willed, intelligent mind underneath. He glanced over at Justine, catching the sunny, carefree smile she gave to him and found himself smiling back at her.

"Let's go." Bennet nodded down the hallway on the opposite end that Bob had navigated.

"Fine." Miriam said, her voice tight as she followed the men and her twin sister down the hallway. She went with Bennet into one room while Claude and The Haitian went into an adjoining room with Justine. He sat her at a table and sat across from her, pulling out a tape recorder. "October 18, 1994 at 11:00 a.m., testing room 712A, Primatech Paper Division, Odessa Branch. Test subject, Miriam Victoria Pratt, aged sixteen, power of empathic mimicry through touch. Current acquired powers through empathic mimicry are known to be spontaneous regeneration, super-human vision, alchemy, the ability to heal others and telepathy." He turned to Miriam. "Have you acquired anything else?" Miriam shook her head and looked away, distracted as she bit her lower lip. "Subject has a twin sister, Justine Victoria Pratt. Subject is five minutes older than her twin sister. Tests conducted today will include, testing of mind-reading ability, vision, regeneration, healing and alchemy." Noah turned off the tape recorder and turned on a camcorder, pointing it at Miriam. "We'll start off easy, okay?"

Two hours later, Noah sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Test number 12. Telepathy and mind reading." He turned to Miriam. "You and your sister are able to communicate telepathically, correct?"

"Yes." Miriam sighed as she fidgeted in her seat.

"Okay." He turned on the walkie-talkie strapped to his hip. "Test 12 is starting, you first."

In the room next door, Claude held up a card for Justine to see. In the room next door, Miriam sighed. "It's a star."

Noah turned on his walkie-talkie. "Star?"

"Right-O! Mate!" Claude's voice boomed through the device.

Noah smiled and held up a card for Miriam to see. In the room next door, Justine grinned. "Three wavy lines."

Claude thumbed a button on his walkie-talkie. "She says that you're holding a card with three wavy lines."

Noah flipped his card around and noticed the three wavy lines printed. "Good job."

Miriam gnawed on a fingernail and shrugged. "He's holding up a card with a circle."

Noah picked up the walkie-talkie. "Circle."

"Good job, Girly!" Claude chuckled next door. A few minutes later, he called out. "Justine says you're holding a card with a square on it."

Noah nodded. "Okay, I think we've proven telepathy. Test 13, spontaneous regeneration." He turned off the walkie-talkie as he walked over to Miriam. "Sorry about this." He pulled out a scalpel and cut a line across her hand as she winced. In the next room, he heard Justine yelp in pain. Turning back to Miriam, he frowned. "You can feel each other's pain?"

"Yeah." Miriam nodded. "It's called a twin connection or something. I've read about it before, haven't you?"

Noah's eyes widened as he sat across from her. "I've heard of some cases where identical twins could feel each other's pain, but I've never encountered it." He turned on his walkie-talkie. "Claude, I need to talk to you in the hallway, now." He turned back to Miriam. "What's the extent of your connection?"

Miriam shrugged. "If she feels pain, I feel it. If I get really upset, she feels that too. I got busted for sneaking out and drinking at a kegger a few weeks ago because Justine started acting drunk at home and ended up puking at about the same time I did."

"So if you're scared, she's scared, if you're drugged, she's drugged-" Noah nodded "-fascinating."

"Sometimes it can be a pain in the ass." Miriam laughed softly. "She went out on a date a few weeks ago and um," she blushed "Little Miss Perfect isn't as perfect as she'd want Mom to think." As Noah stared at her, confused, Miriam blushed harder. "I was driving home from the library while she was out on the date. I almost had a wreck because I was having the same orgasm she was having, okay? I guess it was payback for getting her drunk at home even though she hadn't been drinking."

Noah's eyes widened as he looked away. "I'll be back in a minute." He jumped up quickly and walked into the hallway where Claude was waiting for him. "Holy shit." He whispered.

"What's going on?" Claude asked.

"These two are connected, mentally." Noah glanced at the closed doors of the adjoining rooms. "Apparently if you drug one, the other feels it, hurt one the other feels it. They can feel the same emotion the other's feeling, the same," he looked away "physical sensations."

"You'll have to clarify that last one, Mate." Claude smiled wickedly as Noah glared at him. "Just what have you been doing in there with Little Miss Sweet Sixteen, you dog."

"She TOLD me!" Noah paced in front of Claude. "She said that a few weeks ago when Justine went out on a date, Miriam experienced some of the same sensations that her sister was feeling, if you know what I mean."

"Damn, I'd have thought your twin was the round-heeled Lolita, not mine. Mine acts like she's made of sugar and spice and wouldn't let a man between those dimpled knees to save her sweet life." Claude turned and stared at his door with interest. "Cute kid, too. So when one gets her kit off, the other does too, eh?"

"Claude." Noah's voice had a warning edge to it.

"Oh bugger! I'm not saying I'd actually DO anything, but she will be eighteen in a couple of years. Perhaps I should bring them back in for," he winked "further testing then. I test one and let you record the results in the other."

"You're a pig." Noah muttered.

"You'd be thinking the same thing if you weren't married. Face it, in a few years, they'll be making quite a few men want to live out a twin fantasy or two." Claude nodded. "God knows I wouldn't mind living one out." He raised an eyebrow as The Haitian walked out of the room. "Gotta have a slash?" The man nodded and Claude sighed. "You know where the loo is." The Haitian nodded again and walked down the hall. As soon as he had disappeared from view, Claude began to speak again, only to be interrupted by screams coming from his room. Seconds later, Miriam started to scream in her room as well.

Noah threw open the doors to both exam rooms, his eyes widening as he saw both twins writhing in pain in their chairs, moaning and screaming before suddenly falling on the floor, still. "Don't touch Justine!" Noah shouted to Claude as he ran into Miriam's room. "Miriam?" As he rolled her over, her eyes flew open and she started shrieking. He yelped as she butted heads with him before springing to her feet to run out of the room.

Claude's eyes widened as she grabbed his hand, quickly disappearing from view. As he turned, he heard her footsteps as she sprinted past him to grab Justine. He watched as both twins disappeared and heard their shoes squeaking as they ran down the hall together, towards the room where Bob was testing Isabelle. He turned and helped Noah stand, shaking his head at the bruise that was forming on his partner's forehead. "What the fuck happened?" He asked.

"Where did they go?" Noah looked around, dazed.

"They stole my bloody power and took off down the hall."

"SHIT!" Noah pushed Claude aside as he ran to catch up with the twins. He turned to see Claude running beside him. "I have a really bad feeling that little Isabelle's powers just went haywire while Bob was testing her and she let her sisters know about it."

"OH FUCK!" Claude ran faster as they heard shouts down the hallway, then a gunshot. As they ran into the room, they spotted the twins first, sobbing over the toddler as she lay on an exam table, her eyes vacant as she drooled, her features slack. A man lay on the floor across the room, dead of a gunshot wound to his head, the gun clutched in his fingers. Noah recognized him immediately as one of Bob's technicians.

Noah turned to Bob as he cowered in a corner. "You did it, didn't you? You fucked that kid up, just like you did with your own daughter."

Bob shook his head, watching as the twins cried, trying to get their baby sister to respond to them. "I just gave her an extra dose of the Cerebrozine."

Noah shook his head in disgust. "And what happened next?"

"She started to scream and have a seizure, then those two ran in here." Bob nodded at the twins, his eyes never leaving them. "As soon as they burst in here, Johnson tried to stop them. Miriam glared at him and the next thing I knew, he blew his fucking head off."

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?" Miriam turned to him, her eyes darkening as tears streamed down her face. "WE CAN'T FIX HER! WHAT DID YOU FUCKING DO?"

"Calm down." Bob held his hands out. "Just calm down, Miriam."

Miriam shook her head violently as she sobbed. "FUCK YOU!"

Bob began to tremble as he started to stand, grimacing as he seemed to be struggling with himself. Noah turned to Miriam as she sobbed uncontrollably. "Don't do it, Miriam." He whispered.

"Make her stop it." Bob wailed as he began to take halting, shuffling steps towards a tray that held a scalpel and a syringe. "NOAH!" His hand trembled as he grabbed the scalpel, turning it unwillingly towards his face.

Six hours later, Daniel Linderman stepped out of a medical room in the Primatech Odessa building, his expression grim as Victoria paced outside of it. She turned to him, her expression miserable. "Well?"

"Your girls were correct in their diagnosis." Linderman shook his head sadly as he glanced back into the room. Isabelle lay in a large crib, staring at the ceiling with a blank expression on her face as the twins sat beside it together, clinging to each other as they cried. "Whatever Bob did to her is irreversible."

"Fucking bastard." Victoria wailed as she leaned against the wall. Her legs gave way as she slid down to the floor. "My beautiful little girl."

"He said it was a compound you'd created during your tenure here to test those with mental abilities, something called Cerebrozine?"

Victoria shook her head. "I created it, and in a report that I turned in to every one of you, INCLUDING BOB, I stated that it should never be used again after a disastrous first trial with it. One of the women I tested it on began to exhibit symptoms of autism and severe obsessive compulsive disorder." Victoria glared up at Daniel. "She had to end up being institutionalized! How DARE he use that shit on MY DAUGHTER!"

"He's certainly paid for it." Daniel remembered Bob's face with a shudder. "Miriam made him carve his face almost completely off before The Haitian came back from his break and stopped her. Took me a while to heal him completely."

"Bastard. He deserved worse." Victoria muttered. "My baby." She sobbed.

Daniel knelt in front of her. "I've read Noah Bennet's account of what happened as well as Claude Raines'. Noah's suggested that perhaps Miriam should be sent to the Hartsdale facility for rehabilitation and that Justine should be tagged with the isotope before she's released. He told Bob this before he was sent home for the day."

"The FUCK they will!" Victoria snarled. "I've already lost one daughter, basically. I'm not going to lose another AND have the other tracked like an animal for the rest of her life! Where are the other board members?"

"They've all called in with their votes on Bennet's recommendation. I've spoken with all of them as well and it's unanimous. They agree with my findings."

"Which were?" Victoria's eyes narrowed.

Daniel smiled softly. "Do you think I'd let my goddaughters get treated like anyone else? I urged that they not take any disciplinary action on them. They're both free to go. Bob is being transferred to Hartsdale starting next week to be punished for his hand in this. He's being demoted. He'll be under extreme supervision for quite a while and will no longer be allowed to test individuals. Mr. Thompson is being promoted here."

Victoria sighed with relief. "So my girls are going to be safe?" She squeezed Daniel's hand. "Thank you."

"I simply told them that the girls are young and impetuous and given the extreme circumstances, were not responsible for their actions." Daniel turned and watched the girls as they cried together. "I also told them that you have done a wonderful job of keeping their more unsavory urges in check and that they are nothing like their father. Adam would have killed Bob outright, not maimed him. I've also reminded them that this is really the first time these girls have ever gotten into any type of trouble like this and that they would be better served staying with you where you would continue to teach them right from wrong, as opposed to locking one or both of them up during their formative years. They agreed. They won't lock up Miriam or tag Justine if Miriam apologizes to Bob for what she did."

"Okay." Victoria stood with Daniel's help. "I need to talk to them for a moment."

"Of course." Daniel followed her into the room and leaned against the door, watching as the twins sat up as their mother approached them.

Victoria shook her head, regarding her daughters angrily. "You have no idea what you've done today, do you?"

Miriam wiped tears from her cheeks. "You've seen what that rotten man has done to our Izzie!" She sobbed. "Our girl, our bright, sweet girl is gone, Mom! She's not responding to us, she's not-" She buried her face in her hands, crying harder.

"You killed a man and maimed another!" Victoria glared down at her daughter. "Do you know how close you two have come to being locked up in Hartsdale with your father?" Daniel watched as Miriam sat up, shocked before she turned and shot Justine a quick look. Victoria paced in front of them both, shaking her head. "Miriam, you are going to Mr. Bishop to apologize to him."

"Like HELL I will!" Miriam jumped up from her chair, her hands balled into fists at her side. "I will NEVER apologize to that man!"

"You will apologize for what you did or else I will call that board and tell them to go ahead and lock you up, just like Mr. Bennet recommended!" Victoria turned away as Miriam turned to Justine, fixing her sister with a steely gaze. Justine looked away uncomfortably as Daniel smiled softly. "You used Isabelle's powers to force one man to kill himself and to cause another man to almost cut his face off," she spun around on Miriam and grabbed her, her fingers digging into her daughter's arm "you don't understand, Honey. If you don't apologize, if you don't realize that you've done a truly terrible, horrible thing here, they could lock you up." As Miriam looked away, tears streaming down her cheek, Victoria groaned in exasperation. "Please Baby, don't be bull-headed about this. This is not the time for you to be stubborn or rebellious. If you don't apologize, they WILL lock you away and then they'll tag your twin sister with a radio isotope so they can track her forever. I know what he's done to Isabelle isn't right. I know it hurts to see her like this and God knows I know that he deserved it, but you have to apologize, Baby. I can't lose you and I can't stand to see either of you get punished for this."

Miriam sighed and nodded. "Fine Mom. I'll apologize for what _I_ did." As Victoria hugged her, Daniel watched silently as Miriam glared hotly at her sister. Justine looked away, sniffling before standing up.

"I need some air." She whispered.

"I'll go with you." Miriam murmured as she turned to Victoria. "I'll take a walk and calm down before I go and apologize to Mr. Bishop, okay?"

"Okay, Baby." Victoria watched as the twins walked out of the room and down the hall. "God, what am I going to DO with that girl?"

"I have no idea." Daniel said, his eyes sparkling with interest.

The moment the twins stepped out into the parking lot, Miriam turned and slapped Justine, knocking her to the ground. "HOW DARE YOU?"

Justine sat on the ground, sobbing. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She wailed.

Miriam shook her head. "Why didn't you say anything, huh? You just sat there and let me take the blame for what YOU did! Why did you do that, huh? They want to lock me up, Jussy!"

"I didn't mean to do it!" Justine slowly stood and reached for her sister, sobbing harder as Miriam pushed her away. "I lost control and I-" she cried harder "-I didn't mean to do it, Miri! I got scared! I don't know why I didn't say anything, but I just got so SCARED!" Gulping for air, she looked at her twin. "I'm sorry, Mir." She whispered. "I saw Izzie and I got angry and I just lost control. I'm not as strong as you are, I can't control it as well as you can and I'm SORRY!"

Miriam sighed and pulled Justine into her arms, hugging her. "It's okay. It's okay." As Justine cried on her shoulder, Miriam shook her head. "I don't blame you. You've just got to get control of that mental stuff, you know?"

"I know. I'll tell Mom everything. I'll even go and apologize to Mr. Bishop." Justine whispered against her sister's shoulder.

"Don't bother." Miriam made a face. "Mom'll just think you're doing it to get me out of trouble, as usual. I'LL apologize to that hateful fucking toad. If you hadn't done it first, I probably would've done something to him anyway."

"Like you did with Mike?" Justine lifted her head up, winking at her sister.

"Yeah, like I did with that jerk ex-boyfriend of yours." Miriam laughed softly.

"It was pretty funny watching the football team beat his ass for making him go in there and tell them all that he wanted to suck their dicks."

"Well? He ran around the whole damn school talking about how he'd gotten you to sleep with him on the first date, what did he expect us to do?" Miriam turned and started to walk back into the building, her arm around Justine's shoulders. "Promise me something though, okay?"

"Sure. What?"

"Next time you let some guy hit it, give me a quick call and make sure I'm not driving or operating any heavy machinery, or standing in a check-out line or-"

"-As long as you don't get puking drunk the next time I'm trying to study for a calculus quiz." Justine kicked her foot back, kicking Miriam playfully in the rear. "I nearly flunked that test because of the hangover I had the next day, which sucked since I wasn't even drinking."

"Deal." Miriam hugged her sister as they walked back into the building.

* * *

October 20, 1994 

Adam looked up from his cot as Daniel walked into the room. "How's it going, old friend?"

Daniel sat across from him. "Going according to plan. I know which one we're going to use now."

"Oh?" Adam sat up. "Interesting. They're only sixteen."

"Give them a few years and they'll be ready." Daniel nodded.

"Which one do you think will be the right one to continue our work?"

Daniel laughed. "Did you ever have any doubt?"

* * *

November 11, 2002 

"Mr. Linderman? There's a Miss Pratt here to see you, Sir."

Daniel sat back in his chair as he nodded. He leaned forward and pressed the button on his intercom to speak to his secretary. "Send her in, Agnes." He smiled as the young woman walked into the room and greeted her warmly. At twenty-four she had grown to be a beautiful woman, even lovelier than her mother had been at that age. Her strawberry blond hair skimmed her shoulders in a chic haircut, her makeup artfully applied. She smiled at him as she sat across from him, crossing her long legs that were clad in black leather pants. "It's good to see you again. How's your mother?"

She nodded, her hair swinging. "Good."

"And Isabelle?"

She nodded again, her blue eyes appearing sad as she sighed. "She's still in intensive therapy, but she's doing better. She can communicate somewhat now with us, mainly with me and-"

"-Your twin?" Daniel took a deep breath. "And how is SHE doing?"

"Fine." She smiled softly. "We don't see each other a lot nowadays since I dropped out of school. She just graduated with her master's in criminal psychology and criminology though. She's taken a job in New Orleans as a police detective. She said she's working in homicide. I'll probably see her at Thanksgiving if she can get away."

"Good. Good." Daniel locked eyes with her. "I suppose you're wondering what you're doing here?"

She shrugged noncommittally. "Yeah, I guess so. It's cool just to come to Vegas, though."

Daniel grinned. "You've always played things close to the vest, haven't you My Dear?" He leaned forward. "And you've always had such control over your powers. I've been watching you grow up and watching as you hungered for more powers, wanting to collect more and learn how to master them. You're a very intelligent girl. You're also very noble, I realized that the night poor Isabelle was injured by Bob."

"Noble?" The girl smirked. "How so?"

"Who else but a truly strong, noble soul would take the blame for something her sister did?" Daniel smiled at her. "I knew the moment that Victoria started railing against you that Justine was the one who had really killed that man and maimed Bob, yet you kept your mouth shut to protect her. You took the blame and accepted your own sister's punishment. That takes strength and nobility, Miriam."

Miriam looked away. "It wouldn't have mattered if Juss had said she'd done it or not. Mom would have never believed that she would have lashed out like that, not in a million years."

"But why did she automatically believe that YOU did it?" Daniel purred. "I'm not your parent, yet I could tell immediately that you weren't to blame. You were too busy grieving over Isabelle's infirmity to attack the ones who'd injured her. Justine did it, I could tell by the way she kept sinking in her seat as Victoria screamed at you."

"She couldn't control herself." Miriam sighed. "She's gotten better though since then, stronger. She's as strong as I am with her control now."

"But she's not as noble as you are." Daniel stood and walked around his desk to stand in front of Miriam. "And she's never thirsted for power the way you have." He took her hands in his. "How would you like to keep getting powers? How would you like to quench that thirst, My Dear?"

Miriam smiled softly as her godfather patted her hands. "What do I do?"

* * *

June 17, 2003 

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want  
He makes me lie down in green pastures  
He leads me beside green waters  
He restores my soul . . ."

Gabriel Gray fought tears as he sat beside his mother at the cemetery, staring at the heavy silver casket in front of him. Virginia sobbed loudly as she leaned against her son, reaching under her heavy black veil to wipe away tears as Gabriel sighed and wrapped an arm around her. He closed his eyes, blocking out the priest's words as he remembered finding his father's body in the watch shop two days earlier. Heart attack. The doctor had told him and his mother that Andrew Gray had died of a heart attack, but Gabriel knew the truth. His father had been hounded to his grave by the woman who wailed and cried in his arms now. Gabriel felt like he was sinking into the grave that his father would be placed into soon enough, drowning as he realized that there was no escape for him now. There would be no escape from his hum-drum life and no escape from the wailing woman that clung to him now. As soon as the priest had finished his sermon, Gabriel slowly stood and placed a clod of dirt in the grave before turning and placing a red rose on his father's casket, waiting for his mother to do the same before leading her away from the grave towards the limousine the funeral home had provided for them.

"He was so young." Virginia sobbed as she clung to Gabriel's arm. "A heart attack? I don't believe those doctors, there must have been something else." She turned and adjusted Gabriel's suit jacket. "You look so nice and handsome, so distinguished."

Gabriel sighed and nodded. "Thanks, Mom."

She lifted her veil and studied her son. A growth spurt at seventeen had seen him reach the height of six foot two. He was still slender, skinny as far as she was concerned. Virginia reached up and tried to smooth his hair down. "So messy."

Gabriel ducked her hands and made a face. "For crying out loud, Mom. I'm twenty-six, would you mind not fussing over me so much?"

"Sorry for caring." Virginia said stiffly as she tugged her veil back down over her face. "Come on home. The neighbors brought a few casseroles. We can have dinner and talk about what to do with your father's shop."

Gabriel climbed into the limousine behind her and sat down. "I already know what I'm going to do with the shop, Mom. I'm going to run it myself."

"NO!" Virginia turned to him, shaking her head. "You most certainly will NOT take over that shop! It killed your father, working his fingers to the bone day in and day out in that place for what little money he could get. Do you know how hard it was trying to raise you on that small amount of money? No. We'll sell the shop and you'll go back to school. You've always been so smart, Gabriel. You can be a stockbroker, or a lawyer, you could even be President if you put your mind to it."

Gabriel looked away. "He left the shop to me, not you. I'm not selling it."

"Gabriel-"

"-I SAID NO!" He turned to her, glaring at her as she gasped and clutched her hand to her throat. "I'm not selling Dad's shop, so just drop it."

"Fine." Virginia turned away from him. "When girls decide they'd rather be with a stockbroker instead of a watchmaker, don't come crying to me."

Gabriel leaned forward, pressing his head against the glass of the window, his head throbbing. _What I wouldn't give for what Dad said once to be true. What I wouldn't give to not have had EITHER of them as parents. I could have been so much more without HER raising me, at the very least. I could have been special._


	3. Chapter 3: Loss

Chapter Three: Loss

March 19, 2007

Lonigan's Pub: Boston, Massachusetts

_I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation  
__You're living in the past it's a new generation  
__A girl can do what she wants to do  
__And that's what I'm gonna do  
__And I don't give a damn 'bout my bad reputation_

"Damn, girl!" Dick Lonigan the owner of the bar watched as the strawberry blond downed another boilermaker in one long gulp before slamming the glass back down. He leaned towards her, whispering in her ear. "You know Jim Stuart's got at least on hundred pounds on you, Girlie. Maybe you should just go ahead and fold."

Miriam cocked her head to the side, regarding the man that sat in front of her. He was middle aged and stout, with gin blossoms splaying across his fat cheeks and jowls. She smirked and turned back to her boss as her competitor downed his fifth boilermaker. "Rack me up, Dickie!"

"Miriam, I'm not kidding here, Girl, Jim's been drinking people under the table since before you were born. Besides, you're getting pretty drunk. How are you going to be able to drag people out of here when they cause trouble if you can't even stand up straight yourself?"

Miriam turned to her boss and smiled at him. She stood up from her chair and climbed on top of it. Turning to the crowd she jumped and did a front-tuck flip in the air before landing on her feet, her arms outstretched as the crowd that gathered cheered happily. Turning back to Dick, she patted his shoulder. "Rack me up, Dickie." She winced and grabbed her hand, shrieking in pain for a moment. "DAMMIT!"

Dick turned to her. "You okay?"

Miriam rolled her eyes as she flexed her fingers. "Fine." She sighed. "Good one, Justine." She muttered under her breath. "What'd you do? Slam your own fucking hand with a hammer to tell me to ease off? Bitch."

"Okay then." Dick shrugged before he turned and walked away to prepare two more drinks at his bar as Miriam sat back in her chair. She laughed throatily as she leaned towards her competitor.

"You know, you might ought to stop yourself, you know? No sense in getting alcohol poisoning just because you want to try and beat me at this drinking game."

The man swayed in his seat and shook his head, his meaty jowls quivering. "No way you're getting my money, Little Girl. The crowd's got over a thousand bucks bet on the winner in this already."

"Fine. Your funeral." Miriam turned and smiled as Dick placed a new boilermaker in front of them. She held up her drink. "Age before beauty?"

The man glared at her. "I would say ladies first, but I don't see no ladies in front of me."

"You're right there. I'm certainly NOT a lady at all." Miriam hefted her glass and held it up. "At the same time?"

"Fine." Jim growled. They drank their drinks together, both of them gulping down the concoction with a quick series of gulps. As they set their empty glasses down, Miriam frowned to notice Jim begin to sway more. "Oh fuck." He gasped as he collapsed on the floor.

"THE WINNER!" Dick grabbed Miriam's arm and held it up! "Come on guys! Give up the money!" He laughed as the money was handed to him. Peeling off a few bills, he gave the bulk of it to Miriam. "Can't believe I actually doubted your ass there for a moment, Kid!" He shrugged. "I took a couple hundred off for myself, this being my bar and all."

"Yeah, no problem." Miriam said, distracted as she stared at Jim. "He okay?"

"Ah, he'll be fine, he passes out in here all the time." Dick shrugged. "Mind carrying him out, Kid?"

"Sure." Miriam walked around the table to Jim and knelt beside him, her frown deepening as she noticed how uneven Jim's breaths were. "Shit." She muttered under her breath. She reached out and touched his arm with her bare hand as she started to lift him up, concentrating on healing him enough to keep the alcohol poisoning from killing him. She winced as the stench of booze oozed off of him as it began to quickly seep from his pores. As she draped his arm over her shoulder and lifted him up, he began to come around, muttering drunkenly.

"Who won?" He slurred.

"I did, you drunk fuck. You passed out." She turned to Dick and glared at him. "He's gonna sleep it off in the back booth, I don't feel right tossing him out in this condition."

"Whatever." Dick sighed as he counted out the money from the till.

As Miriam dragged Jim over to a back booth and set him in it, she frowned as her cell phone rang, recognizing the ring tone she'd designated for her mother's home phone number. She pulled out her phone and answered it. "Hey Mom, what's up?"

She leaned against the wall as she heard a woman start to speak hesitantly. Her brow furrowing, she could make out the sound of wailing in the background and recognized that it was her younger half-sister, Isabelle. "Is this Miriam Pratt, Victoria Pratt's eldest daughter?" The woman asked softly.

"Yeah." Miriam nodded, her heart starting to pound.

"My name is Julia Carnes, my daughter Nancy goes to school with your sister Isabelle." Miriam nodded again, realizing that the woman couldn't see her. "Our girls went on a field trip today and when I came to pick up Nan, I realized that your mother hadn't arrived yet to pick up Isabelle. We waited for an hour for her and she never came."

"That's not like Mom." Miriam whispered, her heart pounding harder.

"I know. I drove your sister home and saw what appeared to be signs of a struggle outside. I tried to go inside alone and see what was wrong, but Isabelle," the woman sighed "you know how she is, I'm sure."

"She's set in her ways, has to have a routine." Miriam whispered.

"She followed me inside. I don't know how to tell you this Dear, but your mother is deceased. She's been murdered."

"Murdered?" Miriam felt her legs give out from under her as she sank onto the floor. "And Izzie saw her body?"

"She's been screaming and crying for a while now. The paramedics that arrived for your mother tried to sedate her, but she fought them off of her. She's," the woman's voice sounded helpless "I don't know what to do with her."

"I'm on the way. I'll be there soon." Miriam started to hang up the phone as the woman gasped.

"But you're in Boston, aren't you?"

Miriam rolled her eyes. "I said I'll be there soon." She quickly hung up the phone as tears burned behind her eyelids. She slowly stood, suddenly sober as she turned and walked to the bar. Dick nodded to her as he cleaned glasses. "I gotta go, Dick."

"Your bouncer shift doesn't end here for another three hours, Kid, not until last call."

Miriam glared at him and tossed her winnings on the bar. "I said I gotta fucking go. I just got a call. My mom's been murdered. My kid sister needs me."

Dick lifted his head, his eyes meeting hers. "Shit, Kid!" He grabbed the money and handed it back to her. "Take it, you're gonna need that for cab fare, if you can find one willing to drive you all the way to Maine."

"I'm not taking a cab." Miriam stuffed the money back into her black leather jeans and turned, her heavy jack boots clanking on the wooden floor as she stomped towards the front door, grabbing her black leather duster on the way.

"You're driving?" Dick followed her. "You're taking that damned bike to Maine in your condition?"

Miriam turned and advanced on him as she pulled the coat on. "And just WHO is gonna stop me, huh? YOU?"

Dick shook his head. "As much as you've had to drink tonight, you're gonna be a smear on the pavement somewhere between here and Maine, Girl!"

"I'll take my chances." Miriam turned and strolled out of the bar, quickly running to the alley beside it. She spotted her dark green Ducati superbike and climbed onto it, whipping out her cell phone again as she strapped the bike to her thighs using custom-made belts. She groaned as she got Justine's voice mail. "Oh fuckin' A, Juss!" Rolling her eyes, she waited for the beep. "Justine, its Miriam, call me back right away." She hung up the phone and revved up the bike, spinning wheels as she flew out of the alley onto the street beyond. As she sped quickly along the streets, she glanced around, searching for a street without much traffic, she smiled as she spotted a detour sign and avoided it, making her way onto an unfinished on-ramp. She concentrated as she reached the end of it, gripping the bike with her legs as it flew off of the ramp and began to fly with her into the skies above. "Thank you for introducing me to that congressional candidate, Uncle Danny." She whispered to herself. "You have no idea how much I appreciated getting HIS power."

An hour later her bike landed, tires screeching on the road a half-mile from her mother's home. She fought with the bike to keep it upright, finally steadying it as she revved the engine and sped down the road. She drove to the house and pulled into the driveway, ignoring the police cars and the crime scene tape as she pushed people aside to get to the back yard. She spotted a tiny blond woman sitting in the garden with an equally tiny blond girl beside her. Miriam walked over to her. "You Ms. Carnes?" The woman nodded and Miriam sighed. "I'm Miriam. Where's Iz?"

The woman blinked as she stared at Miriam. "I thought you lived in Boston? How did you get here so quickly?"

Miriam raised an eyebrow. "I flew. Where's Izzie?"

"Her room." The woman stroked her daughter's hair gently. "She stopped screaming a while ago, but she's not responding to anyone still and fights anyone who tries to come near her. There's a woman from community health trying to talk to her now."

"Got it." Miriam turned and walked into the house, fighting tears as she saw the tape outline where her mother's body had lain on the living room floor. Her keen vision spotted dried blood splattered on the walls with gun powder. Looking away, she turned down the hallway to Isabelle's room and strolled inside, pushing aside the mental health professional that stood in the doorway. "Out of my way, I'm her sister." She muttered gruffly, her voice choked with tears. She spotted Isabelle as she sat on her bed, her back to her as she rocked back and forth, mumbling softly to herself.

At fifteen, Cassandra Isabelle Pratt had grown to be a pretty young girl, with long dark wavy hair and doll-like features that were set off by her wide-set deep brown eyes. She was tiny for her age, barely five feet tall, which made her look even more like a delicate china doll. Miriam approached her younger sister carefully, the tears that had been threatening to fall since getting the news about her mother finally tumbling down her cheeks. Isabelle rocked back and forth, clutching a rag doll to her chest. "Blood, blood, blood, blood. Mama gone. Mama gone. Mama gone. Mama gone. Blood, blood, blood, blood-"

"-Izzie." Miriam whispered. She took a deep breath as Isabelle stopped rocking but refused to turn to her, staring at the wall with a blank expression on her face. "Isabelle, its Mir-Mir." She smiled softly as Isabelle mouthed her name silently. "Izzie?" As she reached out to touch her sister, she gasped, her mind assaulted with images of what Isabelle had seen earlier that day. She saw her mother lying on the floor of the living room covered in blood, a gun shot wound in her chest. Her eyes were open and unseeing, a photo of herself lay beside her with a symbol painted on it in blood. The images kept flashing in her head as she clutched at her temples. "IZZIE STOP!" She took a deep shuddering breath as the images faded away and sat beside Isabelle, stroking her dark hair as she began to softly hum. Isabelle joined her for a moment before leaning against her sister, closing her eyes.

"Mama gone." She whispered pitifully.

"I know Baby." Miriam began to sob as she hugged Isabelle. "I know."

"Mama gone."

* * *

March 20, 2007 

New Orleans, Louisiana

_Crawling in my skin  
__These__ wounds they will not heal  
__Fear is how I fall  
__Confusing what is real_

_There's something inside me that pulls beneath the surface  
__Confusing, consuming  
__This__ lack of self control I fear is never ending  
__Controlling, I can't seem_

_To find myself again, the walls are closing in  
__I've felt this way before, so insecure_

Justine Pratt rolled over, groaning as she hit the snooze button on her alarm clock, turning off the radio as she checked her cell phone. She sighed as she saw all of the missed calls from Miriam. "God, what now, Mir." She muttered, thanking the heavens above that she'd had enough sense to turn her phone off before going to bed. She sat up, clutching her head as she smacked her lips. "Boilermakers. Bitch." Stumbling towards the bathroom, Justine grabbed a bottle of aspirin and quickly shook three of them into her hand. She grimaced as she chewed them before washing them down with a quick handful of water. Shaking her head, she began to wash her face, wondering why she felt the need to burst into tears. Glancing at the quiet cell phone again, she reached for it. "Probably just got dumped by another jerk-off or something." She muttered as she dialed her pin number to hear her voicemail.

Just as she began to hear Miriam's first message, she heard another cell phone ringing and snapped shut the phone in her hand. She dashed into the bedroom, her phantom hangover forgotten as she went into detective mode. She snatched up her police department cell phone and flipped it open. "Detective Pratt." She answered, trying to sound professional.

"Justine?" She smiled as she recognized the voice of her partner, Remy Dubois. "I've got a live one for you here, Toots!"

"Remy, Remy, Remy," She leaned against the wall, shaking her head "what have I told you about calling me 'Toots'?"

"Sorry. I got a live one for you here, Sugar Tits!"

Fighting another wave of sadness and the urge to start crying again, she sighed. "What is it?"

"Thirty-one year-old female killed in a fire and explosion here in the warehouse district. Happened about fifteen minutes ago. Her eleven year-old kid saw the whole thing." As Justine burst into tears, Remy paused to let her catch her breath. "You okay there?"

Justine shook her head, confused as she took a deep breath. "Yeah, I'm fine. Warehouse district?"

"Yeah. I'm here now. The kid and his cousin are both kind of twitchy, neither one of them seem all that jazzed about talking. You're pretty good at getting people to open up, care to try and crack the case, Detective?"

Justine sighed as her other cell phone began to flash and vibrate in her hand. She glanced down and noticed Miriam's number flashing on it. Grimacing, she set the phone aside, letting her sister go to voicemail as she ran her fingers through her long hair. "Give me fifteen minutes."

"Gotcha! I'll keep a jelly doughnut waiting for you!"

"Coffee too, please. If you can."

"What am I? Your partner or your gopher?" Remy chuckled good-naturedly. "I've already got it waiting for you, Red. You sound like you could use it."

"I could. Thanks." Justine hung up her phone and quickly pulled off the tank top and pajama bottoms she'd slept in before grabbing a pair of dress pants. She tugged them on as she brushed her teeth, then put on a bra and white shirt. After buttoning the shirt, she brushed out her hair before tucking it up into a twist. She swiped her pale lashes with mascara and grabbed her suit jacket and detective shield before snatching up her car keys and rushing out the door. She stopped in the doorway, groaning. "Shit. " She muttered as she turned and picked up both cell phones, putting them in the inner pockets of her jacket before running to her car.

She drove through the still-ravaged streets of New Orleans, shaking her head sadly as she viewed the landscape from her car. Fighting the urge to cry yet again, she frowned. "Seriously? What the fuck?" She muttered to herself. She jumped as her cell phone began to vibrate again, just as she pulled into the warehouse district. "Not NOW Miriam!" She growled to herself as she parked her car, climbing out of it as she yanked the keys from the ignition.

The fire department was running around the area, still putting out hot spots created from the explosion. Justine stepped past them as she pulled on a pair of mirrored sunglasses. She spotted her partner across the parking lot, leaning against his Crown Victoria, wearing a matching pair of glasses. Remy Dubois was an imposing figure at six feet, six inches tall. A former Marine, he still prided himself on his build, working out in a gym for an hour every day to keep his figure heavy with muscles. His white-blond hair was cut in a severe crew cut, his scalp gleaming pink in the early morning sun. Justine strode over to him and reached for the cup of coffee he held out to her. "Thanks, where's the kid?"

Remy pulled the cup back from her grasp, making her step closer to him. "You said you were going to come over last night."

"I got sidetracked." Justine reached for the cup. "Gimme." As Remy continued to keep the cup pulled close to his body, Justine glared up at him, tilting her glasses until he could see her eyes. "I'm not in the mood for your shit this morning, I'm serious."

"Fuck." Remy handed her the cup as his shoulders sagged. "Mind telling me just what's going on with us? Is there even an 'us', or am I just twisting in the wind here?"

Justine glanced over at Remy. "This is neither the time nor the place, okay?" As Remy looked away, the muscles in his square jaw tightening, she carefully reached out and squeezed his hand quickly before letting it go. "There is an 'us', I swear. Can we talk about it over dinner tonight? I promise I'll be there."

Remy turned to her, smiling softly. "Good. For a second there, I figured you were just using me for sex."

"Well, when it's that good-" Justine cleared her throat as she remembered where she was. "-where's the kid and what's the story?"

Remy pulled his shoulders back, turning back into the respected homicide detective as he grabbed a notepad. "The victim's name is Nicole Sanders, aged thirty-one, originally from Las Vegas, Nevada. She's recently widowed, her husband Daniel Laurence Hawkins was killed in a shooting in Los Angeles almost two months ago. Her son's name is Micah, aged eleven." He nodded towards an ambulance. Justine turned and followed his glance, spotting a young boy sitting in the back of the vehicle with a young woman embracing him. Both were wrapped in a blanket.

"Eleven years old and orphaned. Poor kid." Justine took a deep breath, choking back a sob as another wave of sadness washed over her. Remy watched as she recovered, his brow furrowing as she turned back to him. "Continue."

"Justine, you feeling okay?"

"Fine, I'm just feeling a little off today, that's all. Continue, please."

"The girl with him is his cousin, Monica Dawson." Remy wiggled his eyebrows. "Here's where it gets hinkey. Just a few days ago, Miss Dawson foiled a robbery attempt at the Burger Bonanza where she works. A guy came in with a gun, threatened her and this girl pulls some wrestling stunt on him and knocks the guy through a window. She claimed she saw it on television."

Justine's face was still, not betraying the sudden interest she took in Remy's last sentence. "Oh?" She said coolly.

"Yeah. The investigating officer took a statement from her. She claimed not to know the assailant and couldn't or wouldn't give a description of the guy." He frowned as Justine grimaced and pulled a cell phone from her pocket. "Problems?"

Justine glanced at the number displayed and shook her head, placing the phone back in her pocket. "It's just Miriam. Go on."

"Fine." Remy nodded. "The officer suspects that the assailant was a guy known around the area as Hype. He runs a crew in the ninth ward, they're into all sorts of fucked-up shit: drugs, robberies, they're even suspected of setting these house fires that have been popping up around here lately. Thing is, everyone's too scared of these guys to turn them in. Rumor has it, they're connected, if you know what I mean."

"Damn." Justine sipped her coffee. "So we know how Hype is connected to Miss Dawson, any idea how Ms. Sanders ended up in this fire?"

"I have my suspicions, but like I said, the kid and his cousin aren't talking." Remy tucked his notebook in a pocket as he turned to Justine. "The paramedics who checked those kids out said that the girl reeks of gasoline and that she has rope burns on her wrists. Also? A car that was rented out to Ms. Sanders is parked over there." He pointed towards a car near the warehouse. Justine noticed the dents in the grill. "It appears that she had a little fender bender with that van before she ended up in that warehouse fire. The van was reported as stolen last week. We're dusting it for prints now. Empty gasoline cans were found in the back of it. I suspect that Hype and his crew got squirrelly and worried that Miss Dawson might try to do the right thing and turn him in, so they kidnapped her in plain view of the cousin and his mother and brought the girl here to burn to death in that warehouse. I think that instead of doing the smart thing and calling the cops, the cousin and his mother followed the van here, confronted Hype and then Ms. Sanders ran into the building to save the cousin, sacrificing her own life instead."

"You think all that happened, huh?" Justine laughed softly. "And all without the cooperation of the two witnesses?"

"It's cut and dried. I just called you here because you have this gift of getting people to open up. I think you can get them to talk and corroborate my theory." Remy shrugged. "Well? Have at it."

"Where's the body?" Justine sighed.

"The coroner's office is in there with her. They were just able to put the fire out enough to go in there when you arrived."

"So they haven't brought it out yet. Good."

"Not until our CSI team goes over everything with a fine-toothed comb." Remy turned and noticed a group of men walking towards him. "And speaking of the over-paid bastards, there they are now."

The leader of the team, Jeff Lowell nodded. "Fuck you, Detective, I earn my money the hard way, not by sipping coffee and sitting on my ass like some people."

"My ass look like I spend a lot of time sitting on it?" Remy joked.

"No, it looks like you went to a plastic surgeon and asked for the J-Lo special." Jeff smirked. "I hear we've got a crispy one."

"HEY!" Justine stepped forward, whipping off her sunglasses, her jaw clenched as she stared up at Jeff. "Mind showing a bit of decorum, asshole? A woman died and her son saw it. He's right over there in the fucking ambulance, show some goddamned respect!"

Jeff backed up, shocked as Justine glared at him. "Shit! What got into you, Detective Pratt? You need some Midol or something? On the rag?"

"Why you little-" As Justine stepped forward again, Remy jumped in front of her, grabbing her arm.

"Whoa! Hang on there, Detective!" He turned to Jeff. "She gets pretty upset when it's kids involved, you know? Besides, she's not on the rag. If she were, she'd be in a good mood, right?"

Jeff nodded, pursing his lips. "True. She IS only nice once a week every twenty-eight days." As Justine continued to glare at him, he sighed. "Sorry, Detective. I'll stop messing around. Where's the departed?"

"In the warehouse." Justine backed off as Remy let go of her arm. "Sorry for flying off the handle, I'm feeling a little fucked up today, that's all. Just show some respect, okay?"

"Sure. No problem." Jeff shrugged and winked at her. "Feeling out of sorts, huh? You know, you could be suffering from that Hawaiian disease, Lackanookie. Need to get laid?"

"Not by you." Justine grinned. "Besides, my sister gets laid enough for the both of us."

"I remember her. Looks just like you, only sluttier." Jeff nodded. "She coming back to visit any time soon? She was only here for a few hours back in November. I could take you both out, show you a good time, introduce you both to a little fantasy I've had about identical twins . . ."

"In your dreams." Justine rolled her eyes.

"Damn right! Wanna make it a reality?"

Justine leaned forward, smiling softly. "Want in one hand, spit in the other, and use it to lubricate your palm so you don't get a friction burn." She smirked as she moved her hand in a jerk-off motion. "I'm going to talk to the kid."

"Cool." Remy watched as Justine walked towards the ambulance before turning to Jeff. "Get off my Kool-Aid, motherfucker!"

As she approached the ambulance, Justine watched the way Monica held Micah. Choking down a lump in her throat, she smiled softly. "Micah Sanders?"

Micah sniffled and wiped his eyes with his sleeve, nodding. "Yeah."

"I'm Detective Pratt, but you can call me Justine." She gave him a warm smile as she held out her hand. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you." Micah reached out and took her hand, shaking it. He frowned as Justine's eyes widened for a moment. "What's wrong?"

Justine shook her head as she let Micah's hand go. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong." She turned to Monica. "You must be Miss Dawson."

Monica nodded mutely as she shook Justine's hand as well. Micah's frown deepened as Justine's eyes widened momentarily again. "Is everything okay?" He asked.

Justine nodded again, glancing at the two of them. She cleared her throat. "Mind telling me what happened?"

Micah looked away as Monica stared at the floor. Justine cocked her head to the side as their thoughts began to fill her head in a jumble.

_-Stole my comic books, shouldn't have let Monica try to get them back-_

_-If anyone knew what I could do, they'd never believe me, they'd lock me up for being crazy or if they did believe me, they'd lock me up and use me as a guinea pig, me and Micah both-_

_-They'd think we were freaks. How can we tell what really happened without them thinking we're freaks?-_

_-Why did I leave her behind? I should have stayed and tried to help her find another way out-_

_-As soon as Mom told me about the virus taking her power away, I should have called the police and helped them track Monica instead. It's my fault she's gone-_

_-I should have told the cops that Hype was the one who tried to rob the Bonanza. If he'd been locked up, if I'd done the right thing, __Niki'd__ still be alive. It's my fault she's gone-_

Justine stared at both of them, shaking her head. She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them as she turned to Micah. _Your mom did what she felt was right, so did you. It's not your fault your mother's gone._ As Micah stared at her, his mouth hanging open in shock as she turned to Monica. _I understand why you didn't turn Hype in earlier. The guy's rumored to be connected, and not in a good way. You didn't do anything wrong, Kid._

Monica's head snapped up, her brow furrowing. "Wait, did you just-?"

Micah turned to Monica, grinning. "She did it to you too? She talked without talking." He turned back to Justine. "You're like us."

"You have no idea." Justine nodded. She glanced over at her partner as he leaned against his car. "We're going to go to the station. When we get there, you're going to tell me quietly what happened and then we'll figure out what the official story will be, got it?" As Micah and Monica nodded softly, Justine turned and walked over to Remy. "We're taking them to the station. I don't want the kid here when they bring his mom out. He doesn't need to see that." She groaned as her cell phone began to vibrate. "Fucking WHAT, Miriam?" She shook her head.

"Maybe you should just see what she wants." Remy sighed.

"Later. I don't have time for her shit this morning. Knowing her, she probably got arrested, or got dumped or something stupid like that and I'm not in the mood to hear it." She turned and walked back to the ambulance to collect Monica and Micah before leading them to her car.

Remy watched as she climbed into the car with her passengers and drove away. "Well gee, Partner. I guess I'll just follow you back." He turned to his car and climbed in, driving away from the warehouse.

* * *

An hour later, Justine stepped out of her office, nodding as Remy leaned against a wall, waiting for you. "Damn, you're good." She smiled. 

"I already knew that, Baby." He nodded towards her closed office door. "Well?"

"You were right, basically. Hype snatched Monica off of the street with his crew, only he did it in retaliation for her kicking his ass at the Burger Bonanza, not because he was scared she was going to talk. Micah and Niki saw it happen and followed them to the warehouse. Niki kicked Hype's ass and then ran into the building that he'd set fire to. She got Monica out, but the building collapsed around her before she could escape herself."

"Damn." Remy grinned. "Can I call 'em or can I call 'em?"

"Get a unit to pick up that piece of shit Hype. We're gonna lean on him for robbery, arson, kidnapping, attempted murder and murder to see if he can roll over on whoever he's really working for. Also? Monica's got a kid brother and a grandmother that she and Micah live with over in the ninth ward. Send a unit to collect them. I want that family under police protection until we can put Hype and his crew away, not to mention his boss. I don't want those people harmed in retaliation for this, they've been through more than enough."

"I'm on it!" Remy turned to walk away and stopped, turning back to her with a flirtatious smile. "You and me, celebratory dinner, tonight."

"A professional one, of course." Justine raised an eyebrow as she quickly nodded towards the door of their boss, Homicide Chief Dexter Cole.

"Fine, a professional dinner to celebrate cracking this case in just over an hour." Remy winked at her. "How do you do it?"

"What?" She asked.

"Get people to talk so easily? Those two were stonewalling everyone until you showed up. You smiled, you chatted them up for a minute and next thing you know, they won't shut up."

Justine shrugged. "It's a gift, I guess."

"I love it." He leaned towards her, his lips brushing her ear. "And I love you, Justine."

Justine stared up at him. "Seriously."

"Seriously." Remy nodded. "I want 'us' to be official."

"Cole's gonna make us switch partners."

"Fine. I don't care. I'd rather be partners with you at home than partners here. I'm tired of keeping this a secret."

"Okay." Justine smiled softly. "We'll go tell Cole about it in a little while."

"Thank you." Remy stepped closer to her, his piercing blue eyes softening as he began to lean towards her.

"PRATT!" Justine and Remy instinctively stepped away from each other as they turned toward their chief's door. He nodded to Justine, his eyes sad. "I need to talk to you in here, right away." His eyes met Remy's. "You might want to come in here too. She's gonna need moral support."

"Why?" Justine felt her heart stop as she began to walk towards Chief Cole's office. "What's going on?"

"Come in, Honey." He led her and her partner into his office and shut the door. As she at Remy sat across from his desk, he stood in front of her, his hands jammed in his pockets. "Your sister been trying to call you?"

"Yeah." Justine's heart began to race as Chief studied her. "I've been too busy to take her calls though."

"She finally called here and spoke to me." He leaned against his desk. "Honey, your mama was killed last night. She was found shot to death in her home in Maine." Justine gasped and began to sob as Remy reached out and took her hand, squeezing it gently. "I just called the Searsmont police in Maine to verify it. Her body was found by your younger sister last evening. It's being investigated as a murder."

"Mom?" Justine slumped in her chair, shaking her head. "No, not Mom." She struggled to breathe as Remy reached over and pulled her into his arms, holding her as she sobbed. "And Izzie found her?" She looked up as Chief nodded again. "God, I can't even imagine how she's taking this." She took a deep breath, trying to pull herself together. "I need to finish up the paperwork on the Sanders case and then I'll make arrangements to fly to Maine and-"

"-You're officially off duty and on personal leave as of this moment." Chief shook his head. "Jesus, Pratt. Your mother just died."

"That kid's mom did too. I'd like to finish the paperwork before I go." Justine swiped away tears as she looked up at Chief, pleading with her eyes. "Please."

"No." He shook his head again. "I've already called the airport for you and arranged for a flight to Bangor Airport, pulled some strings to get the earliest flight I could. It leaves in three hours. You're gonna be on it if I have to drag you there and toss you in the plane myself. I promised your sister Miriam that I'd get you there as soon as possible. She said that the police should be letting them back in the house by tomorrow morning once they finish their investigation. Until then, she and Isabelle are staying at the Bangor Radisson near the airport."

"I'll finish up here, I'll take care of everything." Remy kissed her forehead. "I'll make sure that family is protected, even if I have to sit in their living room myself with a sawed-off shotgun. Go, be with your sisters, they need you. If I can, I'll try to get up there to help you."

Justine sighed. "I guess I'll have to take a raincheck on dinner."

"I'll cash it in, first chance I get." Remy glanced at the Chief, then rolled his eyes. "Fuck it." He tilted Justine's chin up and kissed her gently on the lips. "I love you, Baby."

Chief snorted. "We'll talk about you two switching partners when you get back, Pratt. I was wondering when you two would stop sneaking around and finally own up to this little affair." As Remy turned and stared at him, he nodded. "You think I don't know what goes on around here? I see all and I know all!" He patted Justine on the shoulder. "I'll get a unit to drive you home and wait for you to pack before driving you to the airport. You're going to be escorted in style, Honey."

"Thanks." She turned to Remy. "Tell Micah how sorry I am, Monica too."

"I will." He kissed her again as she stood up and walked out of the office with Chief and Remy behind her. As she headed for the door, she barely heard as one of the detectives burst out of the break room with a shocked look on his face.

"HOLY SHIT! SOME EX-CONGRESSMAN FROM NEW YORK JUST GOT SHOT DURING A LIVE CONFERENCE ON NATIONAL TELEVISION IN ODESSA, TEXAS!"

Justine nodded, her expression blank. "The world's a fucking cesspool all around."

* * *

Miriam sat with Isabelle on the bed in their hotel room, facing each other as Miriam studied the checkerboard between them. She glanced up at her sister as she stared at her, her rag doll clutched to her chest. "Yeah, you think you've got me cornered, don't you?" She reached out to touch a checker and raised an eyebrow as Isabelle giggled. "Just kidding, I'm not going to move that one." She reached out to touch another checker and watched as Isabelle covered a grin, burying her face in her doll's hair. "Hmmm." Miriam sighed as he moved the piece and watched as Isabelle quickly grabbed one of her checkers, jumping all of the pieces that Miriam had left on the board, taking them away with a sweep of her hand. "Son of a bitch." Miriam mused. "How do you always do that?" Isabelle smiled up at her wordlessly. Miriam smiled back before she checked her watch. "It's six o'clock, which means dinnertime, right?" Isabelle nodded. "Let's go check out the menu in that little restaurant downstairs. Maybe we can get a booth with a seat that faces the door, just the way you like it." As she held out her hand, Isabelle started to take it, then stopped, her eyes widening. 

"JUSS! JUSS! JUSS!" She screeched as she leaped off of the bed, sending checkers flying. Miriam groaned and got up, cleaning up the mess as Isabelle ran to the hotel room door and opened it. "JUSS!" She squealed, throwing herself into her sister's arms.

"Hi Izzie." Justine hugged her tightly for a moment, her eyes meeting her twin's over their younger sister's shoulder. "Sorry it took so long to get here."

"No problem, right? You were busy, as usual." Miriam turned away from her as she finished picking up checker pieces. She carried them with the board over to a table and set them down before turning back to Justine. "So what was your excuse this time?"

"Don't start." Justine said wearily. "I got here as soon as I could."

"Not soon enough." Miriam watched as Isabelle spotted the checkerboard on the table, the pieces scattered around in disarray. The girl turned and quickly walked to the table and began to match up the pieces by color, stacking them two by two in parallel lines. As soon as she finished, she folded the checkerboard in half and placed it beside the stacks of checkers, making sure that they all lined up together perfectly.

"Damn." Justine whispered. "I thought that new school Mom was sending her to was supposed to help with that."

"It's called autism, one of the aspects is obsessive compulsive disorder, Justine. There's no cure for it." Miriam snapped at her. "Leave her alone. She's fine."

"Yeah, she's so fine she only speaks to us or Mom, never looks anyone else in the eye and throws a tantrum if something messes up her daily routine. That's really fine, Mir."

Miriam turned to Justine, glaring at her. "Well, you're here, that's not part of her daily routine and yet she seems fine, doesn't she?" She nodded, her mouth twisting as Justine looked away. "So what's your excuse for taking so damn long to get here, huh? I should be honored you decided to deign us with your presence at all. You're so busy in the Big Easy, fighting crime when you're not banging your partner. By the way, tell him I said thanks for those nightly orgasms that I have on my break at work. I can almost set my watch by them now."

"Stopit." Isabelle whispered softly.

"I'm so sorry if my life isn't as glamorous as yours, Mir. I'm sorry that I can't drop everything to visit Mom whenever the mood strikes like you can. It's a helluva lot easier to get away from your job, where you get piss drunk every night and beat the shit out of other rowdy drunks, when you're not screwing every Boston Big Dig worker that strolls in there and grabs your ass!"

"Stopit." Isabelle whispered again.

"At least I actually take time to VISIT! When's the last time you came home before now, huh? Was it Christmas? Nope. Was it our birthday? Nope. Isabelle's birthday or Mom? Hells no! Wait, was it Thanksgiving? Of course not. You were working. That, or you were hiding from me after I showed up in New Orleans and chewed your ass for not going to Uncle Daniel's funeral-"

"-Like I'm going to take time off of work to go to a mobster's funeral-"

"-That MOBSTER was our godfather and he couldn't have loved us more if he'd been our ACTUAL father-"

"-stopit-" Isabelle moaned softly.

"-He didn't pay shit-all attention to me, YOU were the one he always sent for and sent on those little 'collection errands'-"

"-He invited you to visit him all the time, YOU were the one who always turned him down! Do you know how much it hurt his feelings that you never wanted to see him? He loved you as much as he loved me and you shit all over him! You shit on him in life, you shit on him in death, just like you've shit on each and every one of us!"

"STOPIT!" Isabelle screamed as she turned and ran to a corner of the room. Miriam groaned as she began to rock back and forth, facing the corner as she hugged her doll. "Stopit, stopit, stopit, stopit, stopit! Mama gone! Mama gone! Blood, blood, blood, blood. Mama gone! Mama gone! Blood, blood, blood, blood!"

"Iz-" Justine started to step towards her baby sister and was stopped by Miriam.

"Just leave, Justine." Miriam glared at her. "You're not wanted here, you don't WANT to be here, you haven't wanted to be here in a long time. Get out and leave. Just go back to your lovely life in New Orleans, climb back under that jarhead jackass you've been dating and leave us in peace."

"Fuck off, I'm not going anywhere." Justine pushed past Miriam, brushing her arm on the way past her.

Miriam's eyes widened. "Someone's gotten a couple of new powers." Justine rolled her eyes at her as she knelt behind Isabelle and began to stroke her hair. "Technopathy and adopted muscle memory? I wouldn't have pegged you as a collector. In fact, whenever I'd share with you the powers that Uncle Daniel led me to, you'd get pissed."

"I didn't mean to get those powers and I'd rather not have gotten the ones you've constantly bestowed on me over the years." Justine gently turned Isabelle around and embraced her. "We're not going to fight anymore, I promise."

"Don't make a promise you can't keep, Juss." Miriam snorted.

Justine sighed wearily. "Can we please just drop it? Mom's gone, we have to make arrangements, we have to decide what to do with Isabelle and-"

"-What's that supposed to mean?" Miriam gasped. "Hell no."

"What? I can't take her back to New Orleans and keep her on a routine with my job, it's too hectic. What are you going to do, take her back to Boston and let her sit in the bar with you at night while you make money drinking assholes under the table and toss out drunks?"

"I'll do whatever I can to make sure she's not put in a group home, that's what!" Miriam snarled. "I thought I told you to get the fuck out."

"I'm not going anywhere." Justine shook her head.

"None of you are." The twins turned to see a woman standing in the open doorway, watching them. As she pulled her fur coat around her protectively before adjusting her gloves, she raised an eyebrow at the girls. "You silly things. With your mother gone, don't you realize how much danger the three of you are in now?"

"Hi Angela." Miriam crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Long time, no see. How long has it been?"

"Not since dear Isabelle's christening." Angela nodded. "You look," she studied the young woman's black tank top and jeans "well."

"Shouldn't you be in Odessa?" Justine stood, holding Isabelle against her protectively. "I heard on the news about Nathan's shooting."

"Nathan is fine, it's being seen to." Angela sighed. "It's you three I'm worried about. With your mother and godfather now dead and your father escaped to God knows where, how long do you think it'll be before Bob Bishop thinks of an excuse to bring you all in to be locked away in Hartsdale? Thanks to a little stunt I've pulled in retaliation for Nathan's shooting, Bob will be rather busy chasing his tail for a while, but rest assured, he'll take time out of that to bring you in. He's had it in for you for quite a while, especially you twins."

"I'd like to see him try and get us." Miriam snorted. She turned to Justine. "It's so wonderful how your shit comes back to bite us in the ass."

Justine frowned. "What do you mean, with our father escaped?"

"Didn't you know?" Angela frowned. "Adam is the person who killed Victoria."

"Excuse me?" Miriam's eyes narrowed as Victoria gasped and began to cry.

"Yes." Angela walked into the room, closing the door behind her. "It's time for us to have a talk, probably one of the most important talks of your lives."

* * *

songs cited: "Bad Reputation" by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and "Crawling" by Linkin Park 


	4. Chapter 4: Pawns

Chapter Four: The Pawns

March 20, 2007

Primatech Research Facility: Ellesmere Island, Nunavut Territory, Canada

Sam Horn ran as quickly as he could from his sparse quarters in the small facility to his office shivering from the freezing cold that assaulted him during his quick trip. For the last ten years, since the age of twenty, he had lived and worked in this Primatech building, in the middle of nowhere in the arctic Canadian north, rarely leaving the campus. Entertainment was provided by the DVD's that were sent from headquarters, and occasionally from the satellite dish that jutted out behind the small array of buildings that made up the Primatech facility. To the casual observer, the compound seemed to be a simple research center. No one knew that it was a prison with only one prisoner, held in a cell deep below the surface of the Arctic tundra. As Sam arrived in his office, he greeted his only coworker, Bradley Lunsford. "Colder than a well-digger's ass in the Klondike, huh?" He smirked, pulling off the parka he was wearing.

Bradley shrugged. "I think we're further north than the Yukon, Sam."

"Hence the fact that it's colder, numb-nuts. Where's your sense of humor? I know you're new here, but you'd better develop one quickly, it's the only thing that'll keep you sane." Sam sat down in a chair, studying their prisoner on the closed-circuit monitors. The prisoner lay on his cot, curled up as he slept with his back to the camera. "Ugly bastard, isn't he?"

Bradley sipped his coffee. "When I was briefed before I arrived here, I was told he's pretty violent too."

"He is." Sam turned to his coworker. "I've seen him in action. It was pretty nasty."

"Oh? How nasty?" Bradley asked, his voice sounding bored as he rubbed his eyes.

"Nasty enough that we had to hire you to replace the guy he attacked." As Bradley's eyes widened, Sam nodded. "You been down there to feed him yet?" As Bradley shook his head, Sam grinned. "No, you haven't. You know why? Because I'm the only guy that's trusted now to go down there and not lower my guard. The other guy, we used to switch out every day. He got distracted I guess, decided that putting that tray of food in that slot every other day was too easy, so he stopped paying attention to what he was doing. Our prisoner there took that opportunity to reach through that slot and drag him through it."

"That slot's not that big, is it?" Bradley asked.

"Nope. The last thing my coworker was able to do before his bones were pulverized as he was dragged through that slot was hit the panic button and wake me up. By the time I got down to the cell, the only thing left was a stain on the wall off the door. Our prisoner had a nasty case of the shits for the next few days and then you came along." Sam smirked as Bradley's coffee cup began to tremble in his hand. "That man down there, what's left of him that's human enough to be called a man anyway, has super-human strength and is part-animal. He's totally feral now and has a taste for blood. Nasty combination, wouldn't you agree?" Bradley nodded again and tried to speak before turning away, silent. Sam sighed. "Maybe one day soon, I'll trust YOU not to lower YOUR guard and let you feed him too."

"That's okay." Bradley whispered. He slowly stood up and headed for the door. "My shift's over, it's your turn now."

"Yeah, I know." Sam turned quickly and shot Bradley in the hip with a tranquilizer gun he'd tucked inside his parka. He watched as his coworker slumped to the floor. "And just before my shift started, I got a phone call from a lady, a lady who saved my life when many others were ready to give up on me. She wants me to release our friend down there. It seems that the people who were ready to give up on me, the ones that are left, have seriously pissed her off." Sam stood and walked to Bradley, pulling a key off of a chain around the young man's neck. He turned and made his way over to a door, opening it and peering down a long, winding staircase. He heard the guttural growls as he began to climb down towards the cell. He stood at the door, hearing the beast that used to be a man sniffing and pacing in front of it, whining impatiently. "You standing at the door, Roger? You waiting for dinner?" As quickly as he'd shot his coworker upstairs, Sam shoved the gun into the food slot, firing off a dart. His grin widened as he heard the beast yelp in pain and then heard the crash as it fell to the ground, the tranquilizer taking effect. "I've got a special dinner waiting upstairs for you when you wake up, Pal. Just let me get a head start first." Sam walked over to a computer console and began to type a sequence of orders before placing Bradley's key in one lock. He pulled an identical key from a chain around his own neck, placing it in another lock. He studied the computer monitor, noticing the request for a password. Glancing over his shoulder, he fingers flew over the keyboard until the password appeared on the screen: PANDORA. He heard heavy locks in the cell door start to open as he turned and bolted up the stairs, leaving the door to the office open as he grabbed the heavy parka he'd taken off less than thirty minutes earlier and pulled it on. He sprinted in the freezing cold, gasping at the icy winds that found its way under his coat to his quarters, where he dressed as warmly as he could, as quickly as he could before turning and running across the campus to a shed. Opening the shed, he pulled out a set of keys and climbed onto the first snowmobile he found. "I'll be seeing you soon, Mrs. P!" He called out as he started the engine on the snowmobile and took off, heading South.

* * *

Primatech Paper Company: Odessa, Texas 

Peter's eyes slowly fluttered up and he groaned as his head began to pound. He tried to get up from his prone position and frowned, realizing that he was tied down to a table. "Where am I? How did I get here?" He asked himself.

"We lowered our guard." Peter turned his head, straining to hear where the voice had come from. He finally spotted Matt Parkman to his left, tied down to a gurney just as he was. Matt grimaced as he struggled against his restraints. "I think I've been here before."

Peter closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to will a power, any power in his arsenal to come forth and help him escape. After a few minutes, he gave up, panting. "What happened?"

"Well, first of all, we caused a diversion to keep your brother from telling the truth about all of us and our abilities to a national audience." Peter's eyes narrowed as he recognized the voice. Straining to lift his head, his blood began to boil as he spotted the speaker. Bob Bishop stepped forward, templing his fingers as he continued to talk. "Thanks to Mr. Bennet, we've solved the problem of your brother opening his mouth, for now."

Peter suddenly remembered the news conference and how his brother Nathan had collapsed with three gunshot wounds to his chest. He remembered the melee that followed, reporters pushing forward to film the carnage as Peter held Nathan in his arms, begging him to stay alive, stay awake, stay with him. Within seconds paramedics arrived and shoved their way past the crowd to quickly place Nathan on a stretcher. Peter remembered running with Matt towards the ambulance, pushing reporters out of their way as they followed the paramedics, the only thing he was focused on was saving his brother. As they climbed into the back of the ambulance and the doors were slammed, he remembered feeling a jolt and turned as one of the paramedics injected him with a tranquilizer. His eyes wide, he turned to see Matt already passing out beside him just as everything went dark. Now strapped to a table, Peter glared at Bob. "You had my brother shot! You've kidnapped us!"

"I know." Bob sighed. "I have to say, as far as public bag-and-tag efforts go, this one went off very well for something that had to be pulled together in a hurry. After news reached us of Nathan's plans, Noah and I didn't have much time to formulate a plan. Luckily Noah was already here in Odessa, he'd just returned. He was able to organize everything and shoot your brother to create the diversion we needed to bring you three in. I just arrived from New York, myself a few minutes ago."

Peter's eyes widened, then narrowed again as he spotted Noah Bennet standing behind Bob. Noah looked away, his expression miserable as Peter began to struggle anew. "YOU! I trusted you in Kirby Plaza! You told me you weren't with this company any more! You shot my brother, you son of a bitch!" Noah winced guilitily as he pulled off his glasses and turned away. Peter turned back to Bob. "What have you done to us? WHERE'S MY BROTHER?"

"Your brother is currently on life support in another room." Bob pulled up a chair and sat between the gurneys that held Peter and Matt. "Whether or not he lives will be up to the two of you. We've released the story that Nathan has been taken to an undisclosed hospital where he is in critical condition. If you cooperate with us and convince Nathan to cooperate as well, he'll find himself literally cured of his injuries within seconds."

"And how will you do that? In case you didn't get the memo, Hiro Nakamura took off with Adam Munroe. He's probably already dead. Unless you have a vial of his blood somewhere, just HOW are you going to fix Nathan?"

"In due time, I'll explain." Bob pursed his lips at Peter, sighing disapprovingly. "May we talk now, or are you going to continue shouting questions and accusations at myself and my friend?" Peter lay back on the gurney in defeat as Bob nodded. "That's what I thought. First of all, don't bother trying to escape and Mr. Parkman?" Bob turned to Matt "Don't bother trying to read my mind. Both of you have been given a dose of medication to hamper your abilities for the time being. It'll wear off in a few hours. By then we will have come to an understanding, one way or the other." Bob stood and began to pace the floor between the gurneys. "It is not my intent to permanently harm the three of you if I can help it. Your parents were dear friends of mine and Mr. Parkman here saved my life recently, as well as Nathan. The three of you also helped to foil Adam Munroe's plans to release a virus that could have been catastrophic to the public at large. I'd rather not be responsible for causing the deaths of the men who've done such heroic acts. However, this company and our mission statement are bigger than all of us and your brother tried to destroy all we've been working for today. If we'd allowed him to publicly admit and prove that people like us exist, do you have any idea the bedlam that would have been created? The public as a whole is stupid and unable to process the greatness of our abilities and how we can use them to help humanity. All they would see would be freaks, something different. It would be World War II Germany all over again, with people like us rounded up and put away for examination and possibly even extermination. Do you really want to be responsible for that? Do you want to be responsible for the people you've met, your niece Claire, for instance taken from her home and locked away while she's tested like a guinea pig? It's best for the public to stay in the dark for now. Perhaps one day we could find acceptance, but that time is not now."

Peter sighed and stared at Bob as he finished speaking and turned to him. "Nice speech, you rehearse that before you came in here?"

Bob's face screwed up in annoyance as he heard Matt begin to chuckle behind him. "I can see that trying to reason with you like gentlemen isn't going to work."

"Not especially, no. Gentlemen don't shoot one another, drug one another and tie one another up." Matt smirked.

Bob shook his head. "I can see I'm going to have to convince you to cooperate AGAINST your will." He turned to Noah. "Have them bring in Nathan."

"WHAT?" Peter struggled anew as Noah turned and slowly walked out of the room. "But you said he's on life support!"

"It'll be fine, if you LET it be fine." Bob turned and watched as technicians pushed a gurney into the room. Peter fought tears as he spotted his brother. Nathan lay unconscious on the bed, pale as he struggled to breathe, his chest covered in bloody bandages. "What have you done with him?"

"Nothing yet, just given him medication to slow his vital signs to keep him from bleeding out until you and Mr. Parkman awoke from your nap." Bob walked over to Nathan's bedside and turned back to Peter. "Cooperate with us, or I'll let Nathan die." As Peter looked away, tears spilling from his eyes, Bob continued to speak. "But I won't stop there, no. Nathan has two sons, yes? I believe their names are Simon and Montgomery. They live with their mother Heidi in Hyde Park, the home that Nathan shared with them until the events of Kirby Plaza. If you refuse to cooperate with us, not only will Nathan die, but an unfortunate accident will also take the lives of Simon, Montgomery and Heidi." Bob turned to Matt. "But I won't stop there, either. Your ex-wife Janice? She's due to deliver your child any day now."

Matt grimaced. "It's not my child."

"Oh, but it is." Bob nodded quickly. "You see, she had to have some tests run recently to make sure her child was developing correctly. One of those tests was a procedure called amniocentesis, where amniotic fluid is drawn from her uterus to test fetal cells for any abnormalities. Our company is far-reaching, Mr. Parkman. We obtained a sample of that fluid recently and ran a paternity test using the fetal cells and a sample of your blood that was taken during your previous stay here last fall. Congratulations, you're a father. It's a boy, by the way."

Matt's eyes widened with surprise. "It's my child? It's my son? But, Janice told me-"

"-You pretty much abandoned her to chase windmills with Mr. Bennet and Mr. Sprague last fall, what did you expect her to do?" Bob sighed. "If you do not cooperate with us and keep your mouth shut about this company and people like us, your son will also meet with an unfortunately accident. Crib death is a tragic thing, isn't it?"

Matt shouted angrily and began to fight his restraints. "YOU BASTARD! I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU EVEN THINK OF TOUCHING MY WIFE OR SON-"

"-ex-wife, Mr. Parkman and we won't even come near either one of them, IF you cooperate." Bob sighed as he shook his head. "I really don't like making threats like this. It's very unseemly, but you've left me with no choice." He turned back to Matt. "But if you don't cooperate, my hand will be forced. Not only will those things happen, but young Miss Walker will suddenly find herself out of your care, and Dr. Suresh's too. We've been pulling strings to keep her with the two of you, feeling that your care is the best place for her at the moment. We could easily change our minds and drop our support. The New York Child and Welfare Services would arrive to take her away from you both before you're even released here, and from there, she'd simply find her way back here to live out her days behind these walls."

"Let's say you do all of these things." Bob turned to Peter as he spat out his words, his eyes filled with hate. "You kill everyone we care about, you take away Molly. What's to stop us from still going to the press and exposing you? What's to stop me from flying around the room while Matt reads minds?"

"This." Bob pulled a syringe out of his pocket. "This is my last resort. If you two continue to refuse to cooperate, not only will you lose the people you love, but you'll also lose your abilities permanently, before you eventually lose your lives."

"That's the Shanti Virus, isn't it?" Matt asked.

"One of the incommunicable strains, yes. How will you be able to prove ANYTHING when you have no abilities to demonstrate?" As Peter and Matt closed their eyes in defeat, Bob sighed. "I really didn't want it to come to this. I don't like to threaten people, but I have to do what I have to do to keep this company afloat and secret. So, what will it be?"

"You already know the answer, you piece of shit." Peter groaned.

"I want to hear it, I want to hear it from both of you."

Peter opened his eyes and looked at Bob. "First prove to me that you can heal Nathan."

"Very well." Bob turned and walked to a small refrigerator in the corner of the room and pulled out a bag of blood. Bob walked back to Nathan's bed and began to hang the blood on an I.V. pole. "Recently we made an incredible discovery, Noah was actually the guinea pig for it." Peter spotted Noah, returned to the room, and noticed the way the man glared hatefully at Bob's back. "As you know, I'm sure, after the events in Kirby Plaza, Noah took his family and his extraordinary adopted daughter into hiding. We tracked them down eventually and tried to acquire her. Events took a tragic turn and Noah died at the hand of Dr. Suresh." Peter and Matt turned to each other, confused expressions on their faces before they turned back to watch Bob connect the bag to an I.V. port on Nathan's arm. "I felt terrible when I saw my old friend and colleague lose his life in front of me, so I decided to let his daughter go and continue with her life. Of course, before she left, she'd given me two very precious gifts, two bags of her blood. One bag I gave to Dr. Suresh to use in his research and the other bag I secretly stored away here, in case it was needed. Claire's blood has wonderful healing properties, as Noah discovered when he awoke from the dead after receiving an infusion. It only took half of a bag to resurrect him, it should take less than that even to heal Nathan."

"Holy shit." Matt whispered. "Pete, are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

Peter nodded as Nathan's pale color returned to normal. Bob removed the bloodied bandages on his chest as the gunshot wounds closed, the bullets pushing out of his chest to fall on the floor with a metallic tinkle. As Nathan's breathing returned to normal, Bob quickly tied him down to the bed and removed the IV, carefully placing the remaining blood in the refrigerator before turning back to his other captives. "When he comes around, talk some sense into him."

* * *

Bangor Radisson Hotel: Bangor, Maine 

Miriam and Justine sat together on a bed, clasping hands as Angela sat across from them, still covered from head to toe in her coat and gloves as she talked.

"After your attack on Bob thirteen years ago, Victoria and Daniel knew that if he outlived them, Bob would work as quickly as possible to have the three of you captured and imprisoned in the Hartsdale facility."

"Right, like he could hold US." Miriam snorted.

"He has medications that would halt your abilities. He most certainly WOULD be able to hold you, he's held your father there for thirty years."

"He escaped eventually, didn't he?" Justine frowned. "How DID he escape?"

"And why did he kill Mom? How did he even find her?" Miriam asked.

"First things first, please. Victoria and Daniel made arrangements for the three of you and made me the executor of those arrangements. If I know Bob, he'll allow the three of you to bury your mother, but as soon as that's done, he'll move heaven and earth to capture you and bring you in. Odds are he'll have a team waiting to follow you from the cemetery and collect you from there. He thinks of himself as a fair and polite man, but he's also a vindictive little shit. He's still quite upset over the attack you girls inflicted on him, he'll take you three claiming that he's doing it to keep dangerous individuals out of the public, but he's mainly doing it for revenge."

Miriam glanced over at Isabelle as she paced behind the bed. She ignored the images of food that kept flashing in her brain as she turned back to Angela. "Why would he take Isabelle?"

"Because she's-" Angela sighed "-the way she is. Without the two of you to keep her in check, her abilities could prove to be dangerous if she can't control them."

"Asshole." Miriam muttered.

"Exactly." Angela nodded. "Daniel and Victoria put together an offshore account that they continued to contribute to for many years. They also had someone create new identities for the three of you. I have the paperwork for the account and your new papers waiting for you to use once Victoria's buried."

"Wait," Justine shook her head "are you telling me that once Mom's buried, we're going to have to walk away from our lives? We're going to have to just disappear?"

"If you want to survive and stay free? That's exactly what I'm telling you."

"NO!" Justine leaped off the bed, shaking her head. "I'm not giving up MY life because-"

"-because some guy's pissed that you made him carve up his face and now he wants revenge?" Miriam quipped.

"Shut up!" Justine hissed.

Angela's eyes widened with surprise. "I thought Miriam-"

"-I did it, Miriam took the blame." Justine whispered. "I tried to let her let me come forward-"

"-No one would have believed you. They'd have thought you were covering for me. We've been over it, drop it!" Miriam snapped.

"You don't know that." Justine moaned.

"She's right." Angela nodded. "I wouldn't have believed that you were the one who attacked Bob, Justine."

"I lost control, I've never done it again." Justine turned to Angela, tears brimming in her eyes. "I have a job, a life, a man who just told me that he's in love with me. I can't leave that. I can't leave HIM."

"Remy told you that he loves you?" Miriam looked up at Justine as her sister nodded. "Oh, Jussy."

"I can't leave him." Justine began to cry as she sat on the bed. Miriam sighed and reached out, pulling her sister into her arms.

"If you try to return to your life, you'll be taken from him anyway." Angela leaned forward, her expression sad. "Take the money, take the new identities and run. Please do it. I don't want to see my goddaughters getting caught up in this mess any more than they already have been."

"We'll have to think about it." Miriam sighed and turned to Isabelle. "OKAY! I get it! You're hungry. Can I call room service? There's still a lot to talk about." She smiled softly as Isabelle nodded, staring at the floor and avoiding her eyes. She turned to Angela. "She gets shy around other people."

"I understand." Angela watched as the young girl continued to pace between the double beds in the hotel room as Miriam stood to order dinner.

When she had finished placing the order, Miriam sat down on the bed next to Justine again, her eyes steely as she regarded Angela. "Now, tell me how that bastard father of mine escaped Hartsdale."

* * *

New York City 

Sylar, the man formerly known as Gabriel Gray, crept through the shadows, smiling to himself as he tested the abilities that continued to find their way back to him. He closed his eyes in an alley and thought of Japan. As he opened his eyes, he frowned to realize that he was still standing in New York. "How did that Michelle bitch do it?" He groaned as he leaned against a wall. "Don't tell me she died in vain. Don't tell me that killing her while I had that stupid virus kept me from taking her ability!" He closed his eyes and concentrated again. He opened his eyes and looked around. "DAMMIT!" He yelled as he lashed out, flinging a trash can against the side of a building with his telekinesis. Leaning against a wall, he shook his head. "Pull it together, Sylar. Pull it together. So you don't have her extraordinary ability. You still have so many more." He reached in his pocket and pulled out a flash drive, smiling to himself. "And the means to collect even more than ever."

He turned and walked out of the alley and made his way through the streets until he found an internet café. Looking around, he found an empty computer and quickly found his way to it. Plugging in the flash drive, he opened the file he'd stolen from Mohinder's computer while he had waited for the doctor to return to his home. Smiling, he started to read it. "The List. So many people, so many powers, all mine." He began to scroll through the list, stopping as he spotted four individuals with the same last name. "Pratt." He began to read the names and addresses, committing them to memory using the ability he'd taken from Charlie Andrews in Odessa, Texas. "Isabelle and Victoria live together. It would be easy to take them first, and then go after the other two in Boston and New Orleans." He nodded to himself as he closed the file and unplugged the flash drive, tucking it carefully into his pocket. "Searsmont, Maine." He stood and walked out of the café, turning and strolling down the street.

* * *

Primatech Paper Facility: Odessa, TexasNathan struggled against his restraints as Peter and Matt talked to him. "So that's it? You two caved?" 

"Nathan, if we don't agree to fade back into the woodwork, he's going to have Monty, Simon and Heidi killed." Peter pleaded with him.

"He's also threatening to kill my unborn son and have Molly taken away from me." Matt stared at the ceiling, shaking his head. "Rotten son of a bitch."

"We're going to have to give him what he wants, Nathan." Peter sighed. "We're going to have to give in."

"Fuck." Nathan stopped struggling and lay back on the gurney. "I really don't want to do that."

"Do you think we do?" Peter watched his brother. "We have to lie low and give him what he wants, for now."

"Yeah." Nathan closed his eyes. "I know."

They all turned and watched as Bob strolled into the room, followed by Noah. "Well? Do we have an agreement?"

"We don't have much of a choice, now do we?" Nathan muttered.

"Not really, no." Bob shook his head.

* * *

Bangor Radisson Hotel: Bangor, Maine 

"So you're telling me that your son helped our fa-" Miriam shook her head "-ADAM kill our mother?"

Angela stared at the floor. "Peter is a trusting soul who tries to see the good in people. He also has a similar power to the one the two of you possess. Put those two factors together and you have someone who can easily be led astray. He didn't kill your mother and he didn't go there with the intention of killing her, I know it. Adam has been picking off the surviving members of the organization that your mother and I belonged to in retaliation for locking him up years ago. Adam is the one to blame here, not Peter."

"Where is he? Where is Peter?" Miriam asked.

"Odessa, Texas. Nathan was planning on holding a press conference and exposing The Company as well as the abilities that many of us have with Peter and Matt Parkman's help." At the mention of the name 'Parkman', Miriam and Justine exchanged a look before glancing over at Isabelle. "The Company took measures to keep that from happening and currently have them in custody."

"A nice way of saying they shot the shit out of Nathan and have now what, captured the other two?" Justine quipped.

"Nathan will survive, if Peter and Matt agree to their demands." Angela sighed. "Didn't stop me from getting a bit of revenge, however."

"What kind or revenge?" Miriam asked, intrigued.

"The less you know, the better. You two should worry about disappearing as soon as your mother's funeral is over." Angela stood as someone knocked on the door. "That would be your dinner. I have another appointment to attend to, so I'll leave you girls alone for now with your grief." As she turned to head towards the door, she stopped, turning back to the twins. "Do I have your promise that Peter will be safe from any retaliation you two might try to concoct?"

Miriam and Justine looked at each other for a moment. Justine sighed and turned back to Angela. "Peter will be safe. We won't go after him."

"Thank you." Angela closed her eyes with relief.

"Where's Adam?" Miriam asked.

"God only knows." Angela turned to open the door. "Worry less about that sperm donor that helped bring you two into being and worry more about starting your lives over and keeping your noses clean." She opened the door, letting room service enter with dinner before leaving.

Justine, Miriam and Isabelle sat down to eat, making sure that Isabelle was facing the door. Justine picked at her meal for a moment before glancing up to catch Miriam's eye. "Do you think we can do this? Do you think we can put our problems with each other aside and run?"

"We're going to have to, aren't we?" Miriam set her hamburger down, her eyes filling with tears. "I want to find Adam."

"I know. I do too, but right now-"

"-I know." Miriam looked away. "First things first, but after we get settled, I'm finding that bastard and finishing him. I'm doing it for Mom."

* * *

Primatech Paper Facility: Odessa, Texas 

Nathan, Peter and Matt trudged down a hallway as Bob walked beside them. "Very well, then! I'm glad we were able to come to an understanding."

"Go fuck yourself." Nathan muttered angrily. "The only thing we understand is that you're a petty piece of shit."

"You're entitled to your opinion." Bob shrugged. "Matt, you are expected at the airport in an hour. There is a private plane waiting to take you home to New York. The Petrelli brothers will be staying here for the next month, with Peter making daily trips to the hospital where Nathan is reported to be recovering." As Matt turned and gave Peter and Nathan a worried look, Bob sighed. "Oh for heaven's sake! They'll be FINE. I just need to make sure that the public believes that Nathan Petrelli is being treated for his gunshot wounds and is in critical condition. In a month, he'll emerge from the hospital with his brother, hale and hearty to return home."

"You guys okay with this?" Matt asked.

Peter shrugged. "I can live with it." He and Nathan looked at each other and smiled softly. "We've got some catching up to do with each other, anyway."

"My room better have a bar." Nathan muttered.

"And cable." Peter added.

"With Skinamax." Nathan grinned as Peter started to laugh.

Bob rolled his eyes. "We're setting up two rooms for you now. You'll be given all of the creature comforts of home for the next month, despite the little stunt your mother pulled this morning."

"What'd Ma do?" Nathan smirked.

"Something to make my job that much more difficult." Bob sighed wearily. They stopped at an intersection of hallways as Bob turned to Noah. "I'll show the brothers to their rooms. You drive Parkman to the airport." Noah nodded silently as he stared at the floor.

Matt turned to Peter and Nathan. "It's been fun." He smirked.

Peter nodded and hugged Matt quickly. "Take care, see you in a month."

"Yeah." Matt nodded to Nathan. "Fight the good one."

"I'll try. Take care of your little girl and congratulations on your upcoming son." Nathan winked at Matt. "Hey, look at it this way, you're going to fly home on a plane. It's better than the way you got down here, right?"

Matt rolled his eyes. "I thought I said that I never wanted to discuss that, ever!" He laughed and bumped fists with Nathan. "Next month? The first round of drinks are on me."

"I'll need 'em." Nathan and Peter watched as Matt turned and left the building with Noah Bennet before following Bob to their rooms.

Matt glanced over at Noah as they headed towards a car. "I thought you had gotten out of this life."

"I got pulled back in." Noah refused to look at Matt as they climbed into their car. "They threatened my family."

"Yeah, they're good at doing that." Matt stared at Noah for a moment. "Did they make you leave your family?" Noah nodded wordlessly. "That sucks."

Noah nodded again as he cranked up the car and started to drive away. "Yes, it certainly does suck." As he drove towards the airport, he glanced over at Matt, reaching out with his mind. _The medication they gave you when you first got here should be wearing off by now. If you can hear me, nod._ Watching Matt out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the way Matt's head jerked up. A moment later, he nodded. _Good. I'd talk to you about this out loud, but this car is bugged. We tried to run, we tried to keep our heads down, but it didn't work. They found my family. They tried to take my daughter and killed me when I tried to stop them. When I returned from the dead, thanks to the blood they forcibly took from my Claire-Bear, I was held prisoner. The only reason I'm working with them is because I was promised that my family would be safe if I did so. As long as I cooperate with Bob, Claire will never be brought __here,__ she'll never be forced to __be a part of this. I miss my family, Matt. I miss my wife, my son, my daughter, even that yappy dog Muggles. I'm telling you this because I know I can trust you. Someday soon, I will find a way to bring this company down. I will find a way to destroy Bob and everything that son of a bitch has worked for. I thought I could trust Mohinder, but he's been sucked into the company now, repeating their mantras and mission statement word-for-word. He actually thinks he's doing GOOD by working for them. Be careful around him. Be careful with Molly. Don't let them bring her into this. I need to know something, Matt. If I need help to bring Bob down, can I count on you to help me?_ He sighed with relief as Matt nodded. _Thank you. Thank you, Matt._

As they arrived at the airport, Noah handed him a plane ticket. "It's Gate B. You can't miss it."

"Yeah." Matt took the ticket and climbed out of the car. He leaned in the window, his eyes meeting Noah's. "Take care." _After what Bob's put me through, after his threat to kill my son and take away Molly, after what I've seen what this company is capable of, all you have to do is call and I'll help you in any way I can._ He smiled tightly at Noah and turned, walking into the airport as Noah drove away.

* * *

March 21, 2007 

Bangor International Airport: Bangor, Maine

Late at night, Angela shivered and pulled her coat around her, cursing the chilly winds that blew around her. She watched as the small plane landed on the airstrip and walked towards it as the small, wiry man stepped out of it. "It's done?"

Sam Horn nodded. "I don't know why you wanted that thing released, but it's done. I left him a little snack for when he woke up."

Angela shuddered. "Disgusting." She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out an envelope, handing it over. She rolled her eyes as he began to count the thick wad of bills inside. "It's all in there!"

"Just making sure." Sam looked back up at her, his eyes flashing reptilian green for a moment before turning back to their muddy brown. "Thanks for everything, Mrs. P."

"You're welcome. Now, make yourself scarce."

"No problem. I'm going someplace tropical and hot, someplace where I'll never be cold again." Sam turned to walk away, flashing a long, forked tongue at his benefactress before climbing back aboard the plane.

Angela walked away from the plane and climbed back into her car, driving back to the hotel as the plane sped down the runway, taking off to fly South.

* * *

Bangor Radisson Hotel: Bangor Maine 

Miriam sat in bed as Justine slept beside her, flipping channels with a bored expression on her face. Justine stirred beside her and sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Can't sleep?"

"I work nights, this is daytime for me." Miriam glanced over at Isabelle as she slept in the adjoining bed. Her dark hair spilled across the pillow as she clutched her doll. "There's not a damn thing on television."

"Try to sleep, Miriam. We've got a lot to do tomorrow." Justine whispered.

"I can't, I already told you." Miriam groaned as she climbed out of bed.

"What are you doing?" Justine asked.

"Just testing out that new power you acquired, one of them, at least." She touched the cable box on top of the television and stared laughing as the image on the television changed.

Justine gasped as she started watching television. "Mir, turn it off!"

"What is it?" Miriam looked at the television and started giggling girlishly. "Dude! Free porn!"

"MIRIAM!" Justine shook her head as she glanced at Isabelle. "Come on, switch it. What if Izzie wakes up?"

Miriam ignored Justine as she stared at the screen, cocking her head to the side. "Think I could do that?"

Justine rolled her eyes. "I don't know, you think you're bendy enough?"

"Yeah." Miriam shook her head, laughing. "Okay, if she can twist herself up like that, why doesn't SHE just lick herself there?" She turned to Justine, waggling her tongue.

"Ugh!" Justine grabbed the remote and changed the channel. "You're a freak."

"Yeah, but you love me anyway." Miriam shrugged. She turned and stared at Justine as her sister started to sniffle. "What?"

"I don't want to leave New Orleans. I don't want to leave Remy. I miss him already." Justine lay back against the pillows, her expression miserable.

"You see porn and think of Remy." Miriam nodded. "I can see that, considering the sensations I get during my break every night. That boy can apparently tear it up." She laughed good-naturedly as a pillow flew at her head. Grabbing the pillow, she stretched out on her stomach beside her twin. "So he loves you."

"Yeah." Justine sighed. "He loves me."

"You love him?"

"I don't know." Justine shrugged as she rolled over onto her side. "I care about him, I think I could end up loving him. I don't know." She gave her sister a sad look. "You know how it is."

Miriam nodded. "Yeah. Why do you think I hit it and quit it? No sense in getting attached." Miriam leaned forward, pressing her forehead against her sister's. "I know how it is."

"I'm sorry I avoided you for so long." Justine frowned. "I did visit, but I only came around when I knew you weren't there. I didn't want you to give me any new powers. Plus, I got caught up in my job and my life and-" she shrugged. "-I guess I didn't want to be reminded that I'm different. I wanted to be normal."

"How'd that work out for you?"

"Not so well." Justine snuggled beside her sister, closing her eyes. "I missed you. I missed my other half."

"I missed you too." Miriam kissed her sister's cheek as she closed her eyes, trying to will herself to sleep.

* * *

Nunavut Territory, Canada 

He ran through the snow and ice, unfazed by the cold temperatures, single-minded in his one need. He had a destination, Hartsdale, New York. When he'd awakened in his cell and found the door opened, he'd quickly bounded up the stairs, killing the man that waited for him and feeding on him before noticing the computer on the desk. His fingers, now covered in thick fur, were still flexible and dexterous, his mind still human enough to remember how to use a computer to get the information he needed. He found the file on Bob Bishop, his lips curling with hatred as he read his name. Finding his location, he trashed the office before bounding out of the building, heading south. _You're a dead man when I find you, Bob. _He thought to himself. _I'll tear you to shreds for locking me away instead of helping me as you promised._

* * *

Brooklyn, New York 

Mohinder lifted his head from the couch as Matt entered the apartment. "Where have you been?"

"Don't ask." Matt sighed as he sank into the recliner, pulling the lever to make the chair lie back. "Toss me a blanket and pillow?"

Mohinder sat up and threw the bedding at Matt, watching as he adjusted himself in the chair. "Long day?"

"Yep." Matt frowned. "You?"

"You have no idea." Mohinder murmured sleepily. "I'll tell you about it in the morning."

"Tell me early. I need to go to Maine tomorrow morning."

"For?" Mohinder stared at him.

Matt rubbed his eyes. "That woman from the photograph, the one I was looking for?"

"Victoria Pratt." Mohinder nodded.

"She's dead. She died before I could send warning."

"I'm sorry." Mohinder sighed. "But you're going to Maine why?"

"I don't know." Matt shrugged as he stretched out in the chair. "She's got three daughters. I just feel like I should apologize to them for not warning her in time. I feel like paying my respects to someone from my dad's past."

"I understand." Mohinder whispered as he dozed off. "We'll talk in the morning."

"Yeah." Matt glanced over at Mohinder again, Noah's words racing through his mind. _Don't trust him. _


	5. Chapter 5: Family Ties

Chapter Five: Family Ties

March 21, 2007

Brooklyn, New York

As he finished making breakfast, Mohinder watched as Matt rushed around the small apartment, packing as quickly and as quietly as he could. He finally placed his suitcase at the front door and sat at the table as Mohinder placed three plates around it. Matt shook his head, remembering the story that Mohinder had told him earlier. "So Sylar shows up all 'hey, I'm friends with Mohinder, you can go home now' and the babysitter just LEFT? She didn't call you to see if you actually WERE friends with this guy, she didn't call ME to see if maybe I knew of a Sylar, she just picked up her stuff and left Molly alone with him and his girlfriend?"

"Yep." Mohinder turned towards the closed bedroom door. "Molly! Breakfast!" He sat down to eat, frowning. "I came home and Molly was here alone with Sylar and Maya."

"Lovely." Matt rolled his eyes as he ate quickly. "Well, I guess we're going to need a new babysitter because THAT one won't be stepping foot in this apartment again."

"No need." Mohinder shook his head. "During our little hostage situation yesterday, Molly and Maya bonded and became quite close with one another. Maya's going to be staying here in New York while I study her power. She's sleeping in my lab at the moment, actually. She's already offered to watch Molly if we need her to."

"Are you shitting me?" Matt turned as Molly walked into the room. He looked shamefaced as Molly stopped and raised an eyebrow at him. "Sorry, Honey." He turned to Mohinder. "I meant, are you KIDDING me? You're going to let Sylar's GIRLFRIEND babysit Molly?"

"MAYA?" Molly turned to Mohinder and smiled as she sat at the table to eat breakfast. "I liked her." She turned to Matt. "And she's not The Boogeyman's girlfriend, not anymore anyway. When she found out that he was all mean and evil and stuff, she got pretty upset at him. Then, she found out that he killed her brother."

Matt's eyes widened as he gulped down his coffee. "Well, that's a deal-breaker if I ever heard of one." He quipped.

"Then he shot her and killed her." As Matt turned back to Molly, frowning at her, Molly nodded. "He did, I saw it. Mohinder injected her with somebody's blood and she came back to life. Then Elle showed up and ran Sylar off."

"Elle?" Matt shook his head. "Elle who?"

"Elle Bishop." Mohinder noticed the way Matt choked on his coffee. "Are you alright?"

"Bishop?" Matt asked.

"Bob's daughter. She has a rather extraordinary power. She can generate and manipulate electricity, sort of like a walking taser." He smiled softly for a moment. "She really saved the day, she was quite extraordinary."

"Extraordinary?" Matt smirked at Mohinder's quick smile. "Is she pretty?" He nodded as Mohinder blushed and looked away and turned to Molly, winking at her. "I have a feeling that this Elle is pretty."

"She's very pretty." Molly chirped. "Maya is too." Her eyes widened. "OH! Mohinder could date Elle and YOU could date Maya!"

Matt shook his head. "Thanks, but I don't think I'd be interested in someone who was crazy enough to be interested in Sylar." He checked his watch and sighed. "I have to go."

"Where are you going?" Molly asked.

Matt smiled sadly at her. "Remember that lady that I was trying to find in the picture?"

"The picture of those friends of your dad's?" Molly asked.

Matt nodded. "I found her, but it was too late. The man that had been trying to kill all of those people in that picture got to her before I could."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Molly frowned. "So where are you going?"

"I'm going to Maine. I want to go and pay my respects, offer my condolences to her daughters."

"She has daughters?" Molly cocked her head to the side.

"Three of them." Matt sighed sadly.

"Are THEY pretty?" Molly smiled at him.

Matt chuckled as he shook his head. "I don't know. What's with you and this cupid kick you're on, huh?"

Molly shrugged as she ate breakfast. "I don't know. I just want to see you happy, I guess. I think you should start dating, maybe get married again."

"Give me a break, Sweetie. My divorce just became final. I'm really not ready to get out there again, okay? Besides, I AM happy. I have you, I have a good job and I have a roommate that can actually cook a decent meal." Mohinder laughed softly as Matt winked at Molly. "I'm already happy. I don't need to get married again, not for a long time. Now," he stood up and kissed Molly's forehead "I'm going to go and catch a plane. I'll probably be back tomorrow sometime. You have a good day at school and" he turned to Mohinder "YOU have a good day at work and I'll see you both tomorrow evening when I come home."

Molly stood up and hugged Matt. "I love you."

Matt smiled down at her, patting her head. "I love you too, Kid."

* * *

Bangor Radisson: Bangor, Maine 

"SHIT!" Justine sighed as she stepped out of the shower, shaking her head as she toweled her hair. "DAMMIT! DAMMIT! DAMMIT!" She opened the bathroom door and poked her head into the hotel bedroom, watching as Miriam dug through a suitcase, tossing clothes around as Isabelle paced behind her, her hands twisting together.

"What's going on out here? Trying to teach Izzie to cuss again? We haven't done that since she was four." Justine smirked as Miriam knelt on the floor, pawing through the clothes.

"I forgot to pack something blue." Miriam sighed. She turned to Isabelle. "You sure you can't wear a different color today, just this once?" Isabelle looked away, making a face as she began to twist her hands together faster. "Okay, okay." Miriam ran her fingers through her hair as she stood.

"How could you forget to pack something blue?" Justine sighed as she leaned against the wall. "You know how Izzie is, she wears a certain color on each day-"

"-I know-" Miriam groaned.

"-On Mondays she wears red, on Tuesdays she wears yellow-"

"-I know-"

"-On Wednesdays she wears blue, on Thursdays she wears green-"

"-on Fridays she wears pink, on Saturdays she wears purple and on Sundays she wears white, I know this, okay? I packed in a hurry Monday night. I was upset, the cops were trying to hustle us out as quickly as they could so they could continue with their CSI bullshit, and I was repeatedly trying to get in touch with YOU, so forgive me if I forgot to pack something blue for Izzie to wear in the middle of those distractions. DAMN!" Miriam glared at Justine for a moment before turning to Isabelle. "Iz, it's going to be fine. I was going to run to the mall today anyway to get myself something to wear to Mom's wake, so I'll just go ahead and go now. Take a shower, lounge around in one of those nice fluffy robes the hotel left for us, and I'll be back in an hour or so, okay?"

Isabelle nodded wordlessly as Miriam smiled. "Okay. Do you want to wear something that's light blue, or dark blue today?"

Isabelle shuffled her feet for a moment before leaning close to Miriam. "Light blue." She whispered.

"Okay." Miriam kissed Isabelle's forehead before she stood and quickly pulled off the tank top and pajama bottoms she'd slept in, grabbing her black leather jeans and tank top from the floor.

"You're wearing that AGAIN?" Justine wrinkled her nose. "Aren't those clothes probably ripe by now?"

"When I got the call about Mom, I didn't stop to pack. I could hear Iz wigging out in the background so I just jumped on my bike and left. At the house while I was packing Izzie's things, I packed a couple of things that were in my old room like my pj's and underwear for myself, but most of those clothes are too tight now, especially the underwear. I guess I've gained a couple of pounds since high school."

Justine shook her head as she walked to her suitcase, pulling out a pair of denim jeans and a sweater. Tossing them at Miriam, she rolled her eyes. "Don't say that I never gave you anything."

"Thanks." Miriam winked at her younger sister. "I'm going now to get a light blue dress for you, a dark blue suit for me and," She grimaced, squirming for a moment "some underwear that actually fits. I'll be back in an hour."

* * *

Primatech Paper Facility: Odessa, Texas 

"So this girl, Caitlin, do you think you'll be able to" Nathan shrugged, shaking his head "jump ahead into that time again to bring her back?"

Peter shook his head as he sat on Nathan's bed. "I don't know. I don't think so. Now that we've changed that future, she's just sort of stuck in that one, you know? I don't even know if THAT particular future still exists." He lay back, covering his eyes with his arm.

Nathan leaned against the wall, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he concentrated on Peter's problem. "So you think she's stuck in limbo or-?"

"-Just ceased to exist maybe. I don't know. I'm not really the sci-fi, time-travel facts fan." Peter shrugged. "If I didn't think he'd try to take my head off with that sword for what I pulled yesterday, I'd track down Hiro and get HIS opinion on it." He lifted his arm as the door opened, his eyes narrowing as Noah walked in carrying two food trays. "Hey look, it's Bob's bitch."

Noah's jaw clenched as he set the trays down on a table before turning to the Petrelli brothers. "I know you don't understand or even WANT to understand why I came back and why I've done the things I've done but-"

"-You're right, we don't know and we don't want to know." Nathan stepped forward, glaring angrily at Noah. "But I do have a few things I want to tell you, right now . . ."

As Nathan began to rant at Noah, Peter sat up, his head cocked as he began to read his mind.

_I know the meds have worn off by now and I know you've acquired Parkman's power, so I'm going to let you listen to this while Nathan gives me hell. I'd say it out loud, but this place is bugged to the hilt. The only reason I'm here, the only reason I'm eating your shit as well as Bob's right now is because this fucking company threatened my family. When I was revived after Mohinder shot me, I was given a choice: I could say goodbye to my family permanently and return to this company and in exchange they'd leave them alone to live normal lives, especially Claire. If I had refused to cooperate, they would have taken Claire, my daughter, YOUR niece, and brought her here. You don't even WANT to know what they'd have done to her if that had happened. So, before you start calling me names and accusing me of being an asshole, just ask yourself: what would you have done in my situation, jackass? _Noah noticed the way Peter looked away, his expression sad. _That's what I thought. You and Nathan wanted to bring this company down. I know it doesn't look this way from the outside, but I couldn't be MORE on your side if I tried. I'm trying to bring it __down too. I want this company destroyed so I can go back to my family and live a life with them again without having to move them around, changing our names while we look over our shoulders. I want to live a normal life with my family without worrying about people coming out of the woodwork to take it all away. I'm trying to destroy this company too Peter, but I'm trying to do it from the inside out. I'd like your __help,__ and Nathan's too, if you're willing to give me another shot. If you are, just nod._ Noah felt a weight lifting from his shoulders as Peter turned to him and gave him a quick nod. Trying not to smile, Noah continued. _Thank you, Peter. _

" . . . so as far as I'm concerned, you can go fuck yourself, got it?" Nathan finished.

Noah turned to Nathan, his eyes glittering dangerously. "Yeah, I've got it." He turned to leave, glancing over at Peter. _And tell your asshole brother that if I'd wanted to kill him outright yesterday, I'd have done it. I'm a damn good shot. __Use Parkman's powers to have a little telepathic heart-to-heart with him about all of this. __And tell him that if he EVER talks to me like that again, I'll shoot him again, this time in a place where he doesn't want a bullet going.__ And if you ever call me Bob's Bitch again, I'll have a bullet for you, too.__ Got it__, Buster_ He turned and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Nathan glanced over at Peter, making a face. "What the hell was THAT all about?"

Peter looked over at his brother, smiling softly as he raised an eyebrow.

* * *

Bangor Radisson: Bangor, Maine 

"I'm back!" Miriam walked into the hotel room, her arms weighed down with shopping bags.

"Took you long enough." Justine rolled her eyes.

"It only took an hour longer than I said." She turned to Isabelle, smiling softly at her as she dug into a bag. "I got you something for the wake." She pulled out a light blue cashmere dress with a pleated skirt. "And I got you matching shoes and a matching coat." She dug around in another bag and pulled out a dark green ensemble identical to the blue. "And this is for Mom's funeral tomorrow, in case the police won't let us back into the house tonight, so you won't be scrambling around for anything green in the morning." Isabelle sighed happily and walked over to her sister, taking the blue dress and carrying it into the bathroom to change.

Justine held up a pair of blue lace underwear as Miriam took her clothes off. "What's THIS?"

"I told you I needed new underwear." Miriam snatched the delicates out of her sister's hands. "The stuff I found in my old room at the house was over ten years old, the elastic was shot and it was too small."

"Tell me, after the wake were you planning on earning some extra money stripping?" Justine rolled her eyes as Miriam flipped her off and began to put the underwear on. "Lovely. Mom would be so proud." She stood and walked over to the black suit that hung on the back of the hotel room door. "I guess we need to get ready. The funeral home called, they got the clothes you sent over yesterday."

"I thought I was going to have to bitch-slap some Gestapo wannabe detective that was guarding the house just to get in there and get those clothes for Mom." As Justine turned and glared at Miriam, she sighed, exasperated. "WHAT?"

"They're just doing their job, Mir."

"Yeah, but they don't have to be such dicks about it." Miriam began to put on the dark blue suit she'd bought. "Mom wasn't killed in her closet upstairs." She burst into tears and sat on the edge of the bed, burying her face in her hands. "I can't do this, Juss. I can't say goodbye to Mom, I just can't."

"Mir." Justine rushed over to her sister and sat beside her, hugging her tightly.

"I'm not ready. I'm not ready to let her go." Miriam's shoulders shook with sobs.

"I'm never going to be ready to let her go." Justine blinked back tears. "But-"

"-Don't give me that 'she'll always be with us' shit, either! This isn't FAIR, Justine! It's not right!"

"I know." Justine rested her head on Miriam's shoulder as she hugged her. "I know."

* * *

Searsmont, Maine 

_I don't care if it hurts, I want to have control  
__I want a perfect body, I want a perfect soul  
__I want you to notice when I'm not around  
__You're so fucking special  
__I wish I was special  
__But I'm a creep  
__I'm a weirdo  
__What the hell am I doing here?__I don't belong here_

Sylar arrived in town in the car he'd stolen in New York City. As soon as he reached town, he pulled his car over, turning down the radio and began to check a map, memorizing the way to the Pratt address. Smiling, he pulled his car back onto the road and started driving again, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel happily as he turned the radio back up and started driving towards his destination. A few minutes later, his car slowed down as he approached the Pratt home. His eyes widened for a moment as he spotted the police car parked outside of the house, yellow tape barring entrance to the front door. "What the hell?" His eyes narrowed. "If some other bastard is stealing my ideas-" He quickly drove away before he was noticed and made his way back into town, looking for the local library. Finding it, he parked his car and went inside, searching for the local newspapers. He sat down on a couch in a corner of the library and opened the paper from the day before, immediately spotting the front page headline: _**Local Woman Found Murdered**_. He quickly read the article and picked up today's paper, scanning the obituary section. He smiled to himself as he found the obituary for Victoria Pratt.

_Ms. Pratt is survived by her three daughters, Miriam Victoria Pratt of Boston, Massachusetts, Justine Victoria Pratt of New Orleans, Louisiana, and Cassandra Isabelle Pratt of __Searsmont__, Maine.__ Visitation will __be held Wednesday, March 21, 2007 at Lakeside Funeral Home in __Searsmont__, Maine from 3 p.m. until 7 __p.m..__ Graveside services will be held Thursday, March 22, 2007 at Lakeview Cemetery of __Searsmont__, Maine, __beginning__ at 9 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Autism Research Institute . . ._

Sylar set the newspaper down and left the library. He glanced at his reflection in the rearview mirror and nodded to himself. "Looks like I'm going to a funeral."

* * *

Bangor Radisson: Bangor, Maine 

Matt Parkman checked into his hotel room soon after arriving and quickly showered and shaved before changing into the dark suit he'd packed. He glanced at Victoria's obituary in the newspaper he'd picked up in the hotel lobby, checking the visitation time before checking his watch. Grabbing his coat, he made his way to the lobby and approached the front desk. "Excuse me. Could you tell me how to get to Lakeside Funeral Home in Searsmont?" As the clerk began to explain the directions, he turned, spotting two women and a young girl as they stepped off of an elevator. Though he'd never met Victoria Pratt or her daughters, he immediately recognized the twins. Their resemblance to their mother from her photograph was uncanny. He studied them as they made their way across the lobby, the twins both dressed in dark suits, one black and one navy blue, their reddish blond hair pulled back into twists. His eyes settled on the young girl and he found himself suddenly smiling as he watched her. She had the same delicate features as her sisters, with the exception of her thick dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. He realized that her eyes seemed somewhat familiar as he stepped forward and approached the sisters, noticing the wary way they stared at him as he stopped them, the twin in black's eyes darting around for exits as the twin in blue met his eyes, her arm going around her younger sister protectively. "Hi, I'm sorry to bother you, but are you Victoria Pratt's daughters?"

Matt noticed the way the twin in black's hand began to discreetly slide under her suit jacket as the twin in blue nodded, studying him intensely. "Yes. We are." She said.

Holding his hands up, he tried to appear calm as he smiled softly. "My name is Matt Parkman, our parents knew each other many years ago-" he frowned for a moment as he noticed the quick, surprised glance that passed between the twins "-I just came to pay my respects, that's all."

The twin in blue's eyes narrowed, her mouth tightening. "Bob Bishop send you?" She snarled.

"Bob Bishop?" Matt's eyes narrowed as well, his mouth twisting. "Hell no." As she nodded, still wary but beginning to relax, Matt nodded. "I take it you've had the 'pleasure' of his company as well?"

The twin nodded again, her jaw clenching as she glanced down at her younger sister. "You could say that." Matt's eyes followed hers to her younger sister and noticed the way she stared up at him, her eyes wide as she clutched a rag doll to her chest. As soon as their eyes met, she smiled softly. Matt smiled back at her for a moment before returning to her older sister. She raised an eyebrow, glancing down at her sister again. "That's odd."

"What?" Matt asked.

"Izzie never smiles at strangers. She usually doesn't look them in the eye. I guess you could say that she's shy." She turned to her twin and shrugged. "Think he's okay?"

Her sister nodded. "I think so." Matt noticed the way the twins simultaneously relaxed, the one in black taking her hand from inside her jacket before offering it to him. "I'm Justine Pratt." As Matt took her hand, he noticed the way her eyes widened for a moment before letting go and turning to her sister, an unspoken message passing between them. Curious, he leaned forward slightly to read their minds. He quickly pulled back, yelping as his ears rang from the 'feedback' and his head began to hurt, noticing how the twins quickly did the same.

"DAMN!" The twin in blue clutched her head. "Mind warning someone before you pull that?"

Matt stared at the twins in shock. "You two can read minds?"

The twin nodded. "Yeah, we got it from Izzie." She sighed. "I'm Miriam Pratt, by the way. So you're Maury's son, huh?"

Matt raised an eyebrow. "You've met my dad?"

Miriam smirked as Justine looked away, trying not to laugh. "You could say that." She shook her head. "So are you coming to the visitation?"

"If you don't mind."

"I don't. Do you mind, Juss?" Miriam nodded as Justine shook her head. "What about you, Izzie?" Her brow furrowed as Isabelle answered by reaching out and taking Matt's hand in hers. "Well I'll be damned." She jerked her head towards the door. "Come on. We could use the company."

They headed towards the door together, with Matt following the twins as he held Isabelle's hand. He looked down at her as she stared up at him, her brown eyes sparkling. He smiled softly as he stared at her pale blue wool coat. "That's a very pretty color." He whispered.

Isabelle smiled up at him, her doll tucked under her arm. "Thank you."

* * *

La Guardia Airport, New York City 

"I have to say Elle, I truly underestimated you and I apologize." Bob Bishop looked at his daughter proudly as they boarded the small commuter jet bound for Bangor, Maine. "After hearing Dr. Suresh's account of how you showed up and saved him, young Miss Walker and Ms. Herrera from Sylar, I'm reinstating you as a field agent."

Elle Bishop smiled happily up at her father as she took her seat on the plane. "Oh Daddy, thank you so much!" She squealed as she gave him a one-armed hug, careful not to injure her right arm, still wrapped in a sling.

"You're very welcome and to show just how confident I am in your abilities, I've got a mission I'm going to task you with once we get to Bangor."

"Oh?" Elle's eyes sparkled with excitement. "What is it?"

"I'm sending a team to collect three young ladies tomorrow after their mother's funeral." Bob's face grew grim. "It's not something I want to do, but their abilities are far too dangerous to keep them in the general population. Out of respect for their mother, a dear old friend of mine, I've refrained from having them brought in before now. Unfortunately, now that Victoria is deceased, I can't count on the girls behaving themselves. I want you to run point tomorrow during the funeral. Do not let those girls out of your sight and whatever you do, Elle. Do NOT let them touch you, do you understand?"

Elle nodded, her expression serious. "I understand. I won't let you down this time, Daddy."

* * *

Lakeside Funeral Home: Searsmont, Maine 

Matt climbed out of the backseat of Justine's rental car, Isabelle scrambling behind him to keep up as she grasped for his hand. He noticed the amused looks on the twin's faces as Isabelle's hand squeezed his, then noticed their expressions suddenly change together as they turned to the funeral home. Miriam and Justine looked at each other sadly before holding hands and slowly walking into the building together, Matt and Isabelle following closely behind them. They were greeted inside the door by the funeral director who solemnly led them into a room. He turned to the sisters and Matt. "Most family members like to spend a few minutes alone with the decedent before we allow visitors to enter and pay their condolences as well."

"Okay." Miriam said softly, her voice tight. Matt watched as her face became still, her throat tightening as the funeral director walked over to the casket and lifted the lid before walking quietly out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Miriam and Justine slowly approached the casket and looked down at their mother. Victoria Pratt appeared peaceful, her hands folded on her chest, dressed in a green suit. Fighting tears, Justine reached out and squeezed Victoria's hand. "Oh Mom." She whispered. She closed her eyes for a moment and turned to Miriam. "She looks good."

Miriam looked away, tears streaming down her cheeks. "She looks dead, Juss." She turned and walked to the opposite side of the room to stare out of a window, hugging herself as her shoulders began to shake with silent sobs.

Matt stared at the floor sadly as Isabelle released his hand and slowly walked over to the casket. She peeked inside, reaching out to touch Victoria's hand. She quickly snatched her hand away and turned, running back to Matt and burying her face in his chest. "Cold." She whispered.

"I know. I'm sorry." Matt hugged her gently, then gasped as his mind became assaulted with images of Victoria lying dead on the floor of her living room in a pool of blood. "What the hell?" He moaned.

Miriam and Justine both moaned as well, clutching their heads as the same images flooded their brains. "Izzie, stop." Miriam whispered.

"Mama gone." Izzie began to cry, her arms tightening around Matt's waist.

Miriam shook her head, trying to stop the wave of images in her mind. "IZZIE!" She ran over to her sister, grabbing her and spinning her around as she shook her gently before placing her hands on the sides of her face. "IZZIE STOP IT!" Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as the images stopped. Miriam pulled her sister into her arms, hugging her tightly. "Thank you, Honey."

Her face pressed against Miriam's shoulder, Isabelle began to cry. "Mama gone." She wailed.

"I know. I'm sorry." Miriam stood and took Isabelle's hand, wiping away tears. "We're going to get some air." Justine nodded and watched as her sisters left the room.

Matt rubbed his temples for a moment. "That was-"

"-Intense, scary, horrifying?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "Does she do that often?"

"Not really." Justine shook her head. "Just when she gets emotional, which doesn't happen very often, given her-" she shrugged "-you know. She's the one who found Mom's body."

"Oh God, that's terrible." Matt took a deep breath. "I'm sorry again about your mother." He leaned against a wall as Justine nodded, staring down at her mother. "I feel a little responsible for her death."

"Why?" Justine looked up at him, frowning.

"I'm a detective with the NYPD. I've been investigating a murder that happened recently, Kaito Nakamura?"

Justine nodded. "I heard about that. I think I met him once, when I was very little. He seemed like a nice man."

"At the scene of Kaito's murder, a piece of a photograph was left beside his body, with a symbol painted on it. The photograph was of Kaito, and it was part of a group photo that included your mother, my father, Kaito and some other people as well. They were part of a group in the 1970's that-"

"-I know." Justine looked down at her mother again, stroking her hand. "When Miriam and I were teenagers, Mom told us everything about what she did with the group. Mom left after she became pregnant with me and Mir. She was their virologist and was working on altering this virus she'd discovered in India-"

"-the Shanti virus." Matt interjected.

"Yeah." Justine whispered. "The Shanti virus. One of the strains that she ended up creating was so virulent and deadly that if released, could have killed most of the world's population. When our father, mine and Mir's, attacked Mom and tried to steal the virus to release it, she realized that she couldn't continue her work. She asked Kaito to destroy the virus and quit her job, moving here to raise me and Mir and later, Izzie."

"Wait," Matt's eyes widened. "Adam Munroe is your father?" He exhaled slowly as Justine nodded, her face hardening with anger. "Damn."

"Yeah. 'Dear Old Daddy' killed our Mom." She muttered angrily. She looked up at Matt, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. "So how do you fit into all of this? How do you feel responsible for Mom's death?"

Matt shoved his hands in his pockets as he stared at the floor. "I tried to track down all of the people in the photograph. Most of them like Arthur Petrelli, Charles Deveaux, Daniel Linderman, Roger and Evelyn Chase, and Delta Scott had already died. After being attacked by my father, who was working on Adam's orders, Angela Petrelli confessed to Kaito's murder, thinking that she'd be safer in jail." Matt looked away angrily. "I stopped my father from killing Bob Bishop-"

"-Gee, thanks-" Justine quipped sarcastically.

"-I know. I'm wishing I hadn't bothered now, all things considered." He shrugged as Justine gave him a quizzical look. "Long story for another time. Anyway, the last person I had left to track down was your mother, I just couldn't find her in time." Matt ran his fingers through his hair as he stared at the floor, shaking his head sadly. "And for that, I'm sorry."

Justine smiled softly at him and walked over to him. As Matt continued to stare at the floor, she reached out and took both of his hands in hers before kissing his cheek. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You didn't kill my mother, Adam Munroe did. Thank you for trying to find Mom, I'm sorry that you feel responsible."

Matt blushed and nodded. "Thank you." Justine gave his hands a final squeeze before she turned and walked back to her mother's coffin. "So, you and Miriam said that you met my father once?"

"Sort of. It was for just a second about sixteen years ago." Justine glanced over at him and nodded, taking a deep breath. "Your dad had the ability to make people do what he wanted. He apparently had a bit of a crush on Mom. One night when Mir and I were away at a slumber party, he came by and convinced Mom to-" she glanced over at Matt again as his eyes widened with understanding "-we saw him as he was leaving the next morning. He didn't stick around to chat. He was in a bit of a hurry to leave." She smirked. "I guess he didn't want me or Mir touching him to get his power-"

"-That's your ability, isn't it?" Matt asked. "You touch someone with power and then you acquire it?" As Justine nodded, he whistled. "Sort of like Peter Petrelli."

"Yeah, that's what I hear. Miriam and I both have it."

Matt frowned. "So my dad seduced your mother." Justine nodded slowly as he glanced towards the door, realization starting to dawn. "Wait, how old is Isabelle?"

"Fifteen." Justine smiled softly at him. "She was born nine months after your father's visit." She nodded as Matt leaned against the wall, closing his eyes. "Yes, Matt. Isabelle is your sister."

"Oh my God." Matt whispered. He turned and walked out of the room as Justine turned to look at her mother again. He made his way outside and spotted Isabelle with Miriam. They sat on the steps of the funeral home, their arms around each other's shoulders, their heads touching. Isabelle turned and spotted him, smiling softly as he watched her, feeling tears prick behind his eyes. Miriam turned as well and caught his eye.

"You know."

Matt nodded as he made his way to them, sitting beside them. "I know." Isabelle reached out, hugging him tightly. He looked at Miriam over his sister's shoulder. "Does SHE know?"

"We've never mentioned it, but" she nodded, smiling softly "I think she knows. The only people she lets hug her, the only people she shows any affection to have been me, Justine and Mom, until now."

Isabelle let him go and stood. She carefully walked down the steps and began to slowly pace up and down the walk, careful to avoid the cracks in the pavement as she paced. Matt leaned back as he sat beside Miriam, watching her. "She's a pretty special girl."

"Thank you for saying that." Miriam smiled at him. "When most people meet her, they ask 'what's wrong with her?' That really pisses me off. There's nothing 'wrong' with her, she's just autistic. She simply sees things differently than other people do, she has a different perception of the world."

"I get it." Matt nodded. "It would bug me too if people asked me what was 'wrong' with her."

Miriam studied him. "So you live in New York City. What do you do there?"

"I'm a police detective." As Miriam started to laugh, he shook his head. "What?"

"And you're out here talking to ME instead of Juss? She's a detective too. She works homicide in New Orleans."

"You're kidding me!" Matt laughed softly. "She didn't say anything about that."

"That's a shock, she's usually reminding ME that she's a cop every chance she gets."

"What do YOU do?" Matt asked her.

"Don't laugh. I work in a bar in Boston. I'm a bouncer." As Matt nodded, she frowned. "You're not laughing. That's unusual. Most guys look at me and think I'm lying."

"I've seen deceptively strong women before. I got thrown out of a window by one once." He turned back to her, smiling and frowned as she sat up straight, her eyes narrowing and her lips twisting into a sneer as she spotted someone walking towards them. He turned, his own face falling as he spotted Bob Bishop, followed by a petite blond. "Oh, what's that bastard doing here?" He whispered.

"I don't know, but he's not fucking staying." Before Matt could stop her, she leaped up from the steps and bounded down them, her hands balled into fists as she stomped towards them.

Bob took a deep breath as he stepped forward. "Hello, it's good to see you again-" He yelped as Miriam swung out, her fist connecting with his jaw, knocking him to the ground.

"DADDY!" Elle shrieked, kneeling beside her father.

"Oh shit." Matt jumped up and ran to Miriam, grabbing her as she started to spring on Bob and pulled her back.

"Let me GO!" Miriam struggled against him as Matt gasped, shocked at her strength. "LET ME GO! LET ME KILL HIM! LET ME DO IT!"

"This isn't the time or the place, Miriam." Matt held on to her as she fought to get free.

Elle helped her father stand and started towards Miriam, sparks starting to fly from her fingertips. "Oh, it's on, bitch!"

"ELLE!" Bob grabbed his daughter as Miriam stopped fighting, her eyes gleaming as she watched the sparks hungrily. "What did I tell you about touching her?" He turned to Miriam as he stepped in front of his daughter protectively. "Miriam, I would like to pay my respects to your mother, please."

"RESPECT?" Miriam spat at him. "Yeah, you had so much 'respect' for my mother, didn't you Bob? You promised her that you'd be careful with Izzie when you tested her out of 'respect' for Mom, that worked out great, didn't it?" Matt turned and stared at Isabelle, noticing the terrified way she looked at Bob. With one hand still on Miriam, he reached out and pulled Isabelle to him. He glared angrily at Bob as she buried her face in his chest. Miriam shook her head. "You're not stepping foot in that funeral home. You're not wanted here. Get the hell out of here and don't come back."

"I think you should listen to her." Matt nodded as he glared at Bob.

Bob raised an eyebrow, noticing the way Isabelle clung to him. "So I see you've met your younger sister."

"Yeah, I have. I just found out that she existed." Matt rubbed Isabelle's back reassuringly as she whimpered against his chest. "You should leave. Now."

As Bob started to speak, Miriam turned back to him, her eyes blazing. "Get out now, before I forget the manners that my mother tried so hard to instill in me and fucking kill you, you piece of shit."

Bob pulled his shoulders back as he straightened his tie. "Very well then. I'll just send a flower arrangement." He turned to his daughter. "Come on, Elle."

Elle and Miriam glared hatefully at each other. "See you soon." Elle quipped.

Miriam nodded, smirking. "Oh, you certainly will, Honey. By the way, tell me something, how does it feel knowing your father fucked your mind up?" She laughed wickedly as Elle's eyes widened for a moment. "Be seeing you."

"You'll wish you hadn't, bitch." Elle turned to walk away. _Oh, I can't wait for them to tag and bag you and your twin, and your retarded sister too. Just wait until tomorrow. Once your mom's in the ground, I'll make you pay for hitting my daddy. _She thought to herself as she walked away.

Matt grabbed Miriam's arm. "Come on. Let's go inside." He quickly brought Miriam and Isabelle inside, taking them into the room with Justine. "You three need to go, now."

"Why?" Justine asked. She turned to Miriam. "What the hell did you do, now?"

"Knocked Bob Bishop on his ass." Miriam smirked.

"Oh." Justine shrugged. "Good."

"This isn't a joke." Matt sighed. "After the funeral tomorrow, they're going to grab you and take you away, all three of you. I heard his daughter thinking about it. She can't wait to get her hands on the three of you."

Justine and Miriam exchanged a look, sighing. Miriam turned back to him. "We already know. We've got it covered."

"I'm finally here." Everyone turned as Angela strolled into the funeral home, carrying a thick manila envelope. She froze in her tracks as she spotted Matt with Isabelle still clinging to him. "Oh lovely, a family reunion." She quipped.

* * *

Bangor Radisson: Bangor, Maine 

Later that night, Matt sat in the sisters' hotel room in a chair, his expression miserable. "So you're all leaving tomorrow. You're going into hiding."

"We have to." Justine sat on Isabelle's bed, brushing her younger sister's hair as she sat in front of her, smiling at her brother. "If we don't, Bob will send someone to lock us away."

"If he does that, God only knows what he'll do to us then." Miriam lay on the other bed, staring at the ceiling. "I can take whatever that bastard tries to throw at me, but he's not ever going to get his hands on Izzie again." She groaned as she sat up. "I need a drink."

"Miriam-" Justine stared to talk as Miriam got up, unbuttoning her suit jacket and tossing it on the bed.

"I'm getting a drink, probably more than one." Miriam turned to Justine, shaking her head. "And I swear to God-"

"-Fine." Justine held up her hands in a gesture of defeat. "Go, get drunk. Get totally polluted and go to Mom's funeral with a hangover. I'm not in the mood to fight tonight." Justine sighed as Miriam walked out of the room. Shaking her head she kissed Isabelle on the cheek. "Go get your jammies on."

Matt watched as Isabelle walked into the bathroom. "Bob's the reason she's autistic, isn't he?"

Justine nodded, staring at the bedspread. "He tested her abilities when she was two and got overzealous. The chemicals he used-" she shook her head "-it was irreversible."

"Bastard." He whispered. "So you're running tomorrow after the funeral, the three of you. Do you need help getting away?"

Justine shook her head. "No. You don't need to be involved in this anymore than you already are. From what you've told me about your encounters with Bob, if he thinks you helped us, he'll take away that little girl of yours. I don't want to see that happen." She looked up, smiling softly. "Between me and Mir, we'll be able to get away without any problem. We've got quite a few powers up our sleeve to thwart anyone who tries to take us."

"Where are you going?" Matt asked softly.

"I don't know."

"If you did, you wouldn't tell me, would you?" Matt slumped in his chair as Justine shook her head again.

"The less you know, the better off you'll be. We're not going to hide forever though. We're going to find a way to get our lives back." Justine smiled. "I'm sure Izzie won't let us keep her from her long-lost brother forever."

"And I won't let Bob keep me from her either." Matt sighed as he slowly stood up. "I'm going to get some sleep." He waited for Isabelle to return from the bathroom, dressed her pajamas and gave her a quick hug. "I'll see you tomorrow." Smiling at the two sisters, he turned and headed for the door. "Goodnight."

He made his way down to the lobby to check for messages. On his way to the elevators, he spotted Miriam as she sat at the bar, a drink beside her, her face buried in her hands. Matt turned and walked into the bar, sitting beside her. "My mom died when I was twenty. I was her only child. Burying her, saying goodbye to her, it was hard."

"It's very hard." Miriam murmured. "How did you deal with it?"

"The way you're dealing now." Matt smiled at her as she lifted her head to look at him. "Got ripped."

"Did it help?"

"Not really, no." Matt laughed. He turned to the bartender. "I'll have what she's having."

Miriam shook her head. "He'll have a scotch and soda." She turned to Matt. "I'm drinking Golden Grain, straight."

Matt stared at her. "Are you trying to pickle your liver?"

"No. My liver is fine. It'll always be fine." She gave him a pointed look. "I could drink drain cleaner and I'd be fine."

"Met your father once, did you?"

"When I was ten." Miriam turned back to her drink, downing it before she set the glass down. "Hit me again." She whispered to the bartender. Turning back to Matt, she cocked her head to the side, studying him. "So after what you've told us about your encounters with Bob, why did you hold me back from beating him down?"

"I didn't want Isabelle to see it." Matt laughed softly. "I'd only known she was my sister for five minutes and I was already overprotective of her, I guess." He stared at her, shrugging. "Besides, you don't need to remember your mother's wake as the day you killed Bob Bishop, you should save that privilege for a more celebratory time."

Miriam laughed. "I hear 'ya." She gulped down her next drink and sighed. "So you're divorced."

"Yeah." Matt sighed, sipping his drink. "And she's having my baby with another man, apparently."

"That sucks." She glanced at him. "You gonna try and get shared custody? You should get to know your child."

"I don't know." Matt shrugged. "Maybe it's for the best that I don't get to raise him, you know?"

"Oh, that's bullshit, Matt." Miriam turned to him, frowning. "I've been watching you with Izzie today and I've seen the way your face lights up when you talk about Molly. You're a good man and you'd be a wonderful father. You should fight for your son. I'm sure you could fight and get some kind of agreement to get visitation rights at the very least. Your son would benefit from meeting you." She stared at her drink, her brow furrowing. "Unlike me and Justine. We met our father and ended up-" she sighed, shaking her head. "-I wish I'd never seen him."

Matt watched her silently for a moment as she shook her glass, letting the ice settle. "Sometimes we just get the shit end of the stick in the dad lottery."

"Your son won't, if you fight for him."

"Maybe I will, then." Matt nodded.

Miriam turned to him, smiling softly. "I'm glad you came today. I'm glad you got to meet Isabelle. I've never seen her like that with anyone but me and Juss and Mom. I liked seeing her like that."

"I was glad to meet her too." Matt shrugged. "All three of you, actually."

"It was a bright moment in a shitty day." Miriam finished her drink. Matt gasped as she quickly leaned forward, kissing him on the lips before leaning back.

"What was that for?" Matt asked, confused.

"Because I wanted to." Miriam climbed off of her barstool and walked over to Matt, kissing him again, deeply this time. As he began to respond, she pulled her head back, playing with his tie. "You have a room here, right?" Matt nodded, wordlessly as she tugged at the tie. "Come on."

Matt hesitated, shaking his head. "Miriam, I don't know about this. You're Isabelle's sister and-"

"-I'm not YOUR sister." She moved close to him, their faces inches apart. "I've had a really horrible day. I'm going to have an equally horrible one tomorrow. I'd just like to forget about everything and just unwind, even if it's just for a few hours. I'm not asking for a relationship, I'm not asking to be your girlfriend. I'm just asking you to help me forget what a god-awful day I've been having and help me get some kind of release." She kissed him again, her hands stroking his shoulders. "Can you do that?"

Matt stared into her eyes, nodding. "God, yes." He stood and took her hand, quickly leaving the bar with her. The moment they entered the elevator, she pulled him close again, her lips teasing his as his hands roamed her body. They stumbled out of the elevator once they reached his floor and quickly made their way to his room. Matt gasped as Miriam shoved him against his door, tugging his coat off as she nibbled on his neck. Closing his eyes, he moaned softly. "Miriam, wait."

"Yes?" She whispered as she unbuttoned his shirt.

"I don't know about this. I just got divorced and-" Miriam silenced him with a quick kiss.

"You haven't slept with anyone but your wife since you've been married, right?" She asked softly. "And there's been no one else since your divorced?" Matt nodded. "And even though you're divorced, you feel like you're cheating on her."

"Yeah." Matt whispered.

"Okay." Miriam stopped kissing him. She rested her head on his shoulder for a moment, hugging him. "Do you want me to leave?"

"I don't know." Matt groaned. "On one hand, I do feel like I'm cheating on Jan, even though she's with someone else now, someone she cheated on ME with while we were married. And I don't want things to get weird with us, because of Isabelle."

"And on the other hand?"

"On the other hand? You've had a shitty few days and I've had a shitty year." He sighed. "Promise me that things won't get weird afterwards."

"They won't get weird." Miriam shook her head softly against the crook of her neck. "Things won't get weird just because we comforted each other one night. It's just sex Matt, not love. You need comfort and I need comfort. That's all we're doing." Matt nodded slowly as she lifted her head. "But if you want me to leave, I will." She started to step away from him and smiled as he reached out, grasping her arm.

"Don't leave." He whispered. He pulled her into his arms, kissing her passionately as she pulled his shirt, then his pants off. As he sat on the bed, Miriam slowly undressed, peeling off her shirt, then her pants before walking towards him as she unhooked her bra and slowly slid her panties off. Matt reached for her and pulled her close, his lips pressing against her belly before he lifted his head, his mouth joining with hers. He ran his fingers through her hair, letting it tumble down her shoulders as she fell onto the bed with him, their hands exploring each others' bodies as they began to make love.

In her bedroom, Justine gasped and sat up in bed, breathing hard. "Oh Miriam, no." She glanced over at Isabelle to make sure that she was sleeping before getting out of bed, her legs trembling. Grabbing a pillow, she stumbled into the bathroom and closed the door as she leaned against the wall, sliding onto the floor. "Dammit, Mir!" She moaned as her breathing began to come in quick gasps. Burying her face in the pillow, her body began to shake, her moans turning into screams of ecstasy as the same orgasm that her sister was experiencing a few floors above her, pulsed through her own body as well.

* * *

Song cited in this chapter: "Creep" by Radiohead 


	6. Chapter 6: The Sweet Escape

Chapter Six: The Sweet Escape

March 22, 2007

Bangor Radisson: Bangor, Maine

Matt and Miriam lay together on the bed of his hotel room, lying face to face as they talked softly together. "I wish you and your sisters didn't have to leave." He whispered, stroking her upper arm.

"We do if we don't want to end up trapped in Bob's facility of fuck-uppedness in Hartsdale." Miriam studied the scars on his chest, tracing them with her finger. "You got shot, didn't you? It was recent too, the scars are still pink."

"It happened in November. There was this guy, Sylar. He collects powers like you do, only he doesn't have empathic mimicry, so he has to get them another way."

"How?" Miriam asked.

"He kills the person who possesses the power he wants. He's killed countless people already, including Molly's parents. When the bodies of their victims are found, the tops of their heads are cut off and their brains are missing."

"Gross." Miriam grimaced. "What in the hell does he do with their brains?"

"I don't know and I don't want to know. Anyway, Sylar killed a friend of mine in New York, a man named Ted Sprague. He had nuclear ability. Sylar took it. Because of a series of prophetic paintings" at Miriam's confused look, he laughed softly "long story, just go with it. Because of the paintings, a group of people like us, with abilities, had reason to believe that Sylar was going to blow up New York City. A few of us tried to stop him, including me. I shot at Sylar, but he had telekinesis, so he was able to stop the bullets. He threw them back at me with almost the same amount of force that my gun had put behind them when I shot at him. I nearly died that night. Dr. Mohinder Suresh was in the plaza as well. He put pressure on my wounds until an ambulance arrived to take me to the hospital. I was there for a few weeks, recovering from my injuries." Matt's eyes grew sad as he continued to speak. "That's where Janice found me, where she told me that she was filing for a divorce. She had cheated on me a few months earlier with a former police partner of mine, Tom McHenry. She'd started seeing him again. She told me that the child she was carrying, the child she'd previously told me was mine, was Tom's after all." He sighed. "Apparently she lied to me. After I got out of the hospital, I moved in with Mohinder and we both became Molly's guardians. I got a job as a detective with the NYPD and that's that." He stared down at his chest as Miriam continued to trace her fingers along his scars. "And I have those scars to remind me that if I ever run across Sylar again, a gun isn't going to get the job done. I'll have to find another way to kill him."

"The last scar I got was when I was four years old." Miriam said quietly. "It was from falling down the steps in front of our home. I cut my knee up pretty badly and had to have stitches in it. I know it sounds crazy, but I kind of wish I could still get scars."

"True, but there are benefits to cellular regeneration." Matt chuckled. "You can survive practically any injury, you can't get sick-"

"-I can't get a tattoo, or a body piercing of any kind either. Thank God Mom got our ears pierced when we were babies." She grinned. "I can however, have indiscriminate sex with whomever I want, whenever I want without having to worry about getting or passing on an STD, I just have to be careful not to get pregnant." As Matt's eyes widened, she winked. "I'm on The Pill, don't worry. I'm militant about taking it."

"Okay." Matt grinned. "You can drink poison and walk away-"

"-Yep. I could even survive an explosion."

"And since you're never going to age, you don't have to worry about your future husband dumping you for a younger model."

"Nope." Miriam frowned. "Because I'm never GOING to age. I'm going to stay this way forever, until someone cuts off my head or puts a bullet in my brain. If I fall in love with someone and marry him, I'll stay young while he ages and dies, if I have children, they'll finally become older than I am and I'll have to watch as they die-" she closed her eyes "-everyone I try to love, with the exception of Justine, will simply die on me."

"Yeah." Matt whispered grimly. "That would be tough to take."

"Which is why I don't fall in love." Miriam opened her eyes, her expression hardening. "I don't do relationships, I don't get into a situation where I'm going to fall in love and I never will. The whole marriage, children, white picket fence thing? It wasn't made for me. It's hard enough losing Mom and it's going to devastate me when I lose Izzie one day. I can't subject myself to that kind of pain over and over again, I won't."

Matt nodded. "So when you said that this was just sex, nothing more-"

"-I meant it. I can't fall in love with you, Matt and I won't have a relationship. Even if I didn't have to leave in a few hours and go on the run, this would just be what it is, sex. Now granted, it's REALLY GOOD sex, but-"

"-It's the best sex I've had in a long time." He sighed. "Of course, it's the only sex I've had in a long time. I understand, I do." He kissed her softly. "I'm fine with this just being about sex. To be honest, I'm still trying to pick up the pieces after losing my wife. I'm not ready to get involved with anyone either."

"And if we were even able to have a relationship and we tried and failed, Isabelle would suffer. I don't want that for her. She's already gotten so attached to you in less than a day." Miriam stretched as she lay next to Matt. "So, this Sylar guy. He obviously didn't get to blow up New York, so did he end up dying?"

"He was presumed dead, but he's not." Matt's eyes narrowed. "He showed up in New York again a couple of days ago. He'd been infected with the Shanti virus and figured out that Mohinder could cure him. He held Mohinder and Molly hostage and forced Mohinder to give him the cure."

"But they're okay though, right?" Miriam asked worriedly.

"Yeah. They're fine. Our 'good friend' Bob's daughter Elle showed up and saved the day, running Sylar off. He's taken off to parts unknown for the time being, but I'm sure he'll rear his rotten head again. Guys like him don't stay underground for long."

"No they don't. So Elle saved the day, huh? Guess she's good for something after all." Her eyes glittered with power-lust. "God, I can't wait to get my hands on her power. Being a walking taser would be very cool indeed."

"You like collecting powers, don't you?" Matt smiled at her.

"Of course. Who wouldn't in my shoes? The way I see it, the more powers I get, the better I can be at protecting me and mine. Now granted, there are some powers I never want and some I could do without-"

"-Like regeneration?"

"Yeah. Don't get me wrong, it does come in handy, but the idea of living forever and never aging doesn't quite have the same appeal to me now at twenty-eight that it did at ten years old." Miriam sighed. "But yes, I do love collecting new powers." She checked the small clock beside the bed, frowning. "I guess I need to go and try and get some sleep. I need to be alert tomorrow if I want to escape with Juss and Iz without a hitch." As she started to climb out of bed, Matt reached out, touching her shoulder.

"Sleep here."

"Matt." Miriam turned and looked at him sadly. "Please don't get attached to me or fall in love-"

"-I'm not asking you to stay because I'm falling in love." Matt shook his head. "I just-" he shrugged "-I miss having someone sleeping beside me. It's okay most of the time, because at the apartment, my bed is usually a recliner, but when I'm in an actual bed like this, I miss having someone next to me. Please stay." As Miriam stared at her lap, he sat up, kissing her softly on the lips. "Please."

Miriam nodded as she climbed back into bed beside him. Lying next to him, she looked into his eyes for a moment before she leaned forward, kissing him again, softly at first, then with more intensity. "We'll sleep later." She whispered as she stretched out on her back, wrapping her legs around his waist as he began to move on top of her again. Moaning, she grasped his shoulders, her legs tightening around him. "We'll sleep much later." She gasped.

* * *

Lakeside Cemetery: Searsmont, Maine

Sylar slipped into the cemetery in the cover of darkness, searching until he found the place where Victoria's funeral would be taking place in a few short hours. He walked under the tent, staring at the empty grave, the Astroturf surrounding it and the chairs lined up beside it. He closed his eyes for a moment, remembering his own father's funeral. Shaking his head, he opened his eyes and began to look around the cemetery, searching for a place to hide, somewhere he could observe the funeral and spot the Pratt sisters without being seen. His eyes settled on a small stone mausoleum fifty feet away. He nodded to himself again as he turned and quickly left the area, going back to the street and the car he'd stolen, shivering in the cold night air.

* * *

Bangor Radisson: Bangor, Maine

"OH GOD!" Miriam shuddered against the bathroom wall as Matt moaned, his arms wrapped around her as he pressed her against the wall. He trembled with her for a moment, his face pressed against her neck before he loosened his grip on her. Miriam unwrapped her legs from around his waist as he stepped away from her. Leaning against the wall, she tried to catch her breath as she smiled at him. "Okay, I guess that's how you get dirty after getting clean."

Matt smiled sheepishly as he turned on the shower. "Sorry about that. I saw you stepping out of the tub and-"

"-You just couldn't help yourself?" She smiled as Matt blushed and shook his head. "As surprise tacklings go, I think that one just got bumped up to the top of my favorites list."

"Good to know." Matt started to climb into the shower and turned to her. "Care to get clean again?"

"I can't." Miriam stared at him longingly for a moment before shaking her head. "I need to get ready for the funeral. I have a quick errand to run before we go."

"Okay." Matt watched as she wrapped a towel around her nude body. "I'll come by your room to check on you and your sisters when I get dressed."

"I'll see you then." Miriam started to leave and stopped as Matt continued to watch her. "Do you ride motorcycles?"

"I have in the past." Matt nodded.

"Ever ride a superbike?" She turned to him. "It's like a high-octane racing bike."

"No, but I'm sure I could handle one."

Miriam smiled at him. "Oh, I'm sure you could handle a lot of things very well." She turned and left the bathroom as Matt showered, quickly getting dressed before returning to her room. As she entered the room, she encountered Justine, exiting the bathroom. She smiled at her twin happily. "Good morning."

"Yeah, I'm sure." Justine toweled off her hair as Isabelle pushed past her to take a shower. "I'm sure it's a LOVELY morning for you, considering what you spent all night doing." She glared at her sister. "Do you have any idea how many times I had to make a mad-dash for the bathroom to keep Isabelle from hearing me moaning like some sort of porn star, not to mention the ice-cold showers I had to take afterwards?"

Miriam sighed contentedly. "At least four." She breezed past her sister as she sat on the bed, pulling stationery out of the nightstand and began to write.

Justine watched her, frowning. "What are you doing?"

"Something I need to do, okay?" Miriam quickly wrote a letter before grabbing an envelope and writing a name on it. Grabbing her black leather jeans from the floor, she pulled a set of keys out of the pocket and took a key from the ring. She tucked the key into the envelope and stood up, grabbing up the jeans and tossing them in a suitcase. "Is everything else packed?"

"Yes." Justine sighed. "I took everything except the clothes we're wearing now down to my rental last night, why?"

"Gonna run a quick errand. The cops called last night and said that we could go back to the house if we wanted. They're done there. I've gotta grab a few things from home." She pulled off her suit and underwear and quickly changed into a new outfit, a deep green suit identical to the blue one she'd worn the day before. "Just covering a few bases, that's all. I'll be back soon."

"Fine." Justine walked over to the vanity and began to blow dry her hair. "Before you go, just WHO were you screwing last night, some guy you picked up in the bar?" As Miriam turned back to her and blushed, Justine gasped and turned off the hair dryer. "Miriam, no."

"It's fine." Miriam nodded. "I told Matt before we did anything that it's just sex, that's all-"

"-don't give me that shit!" Justine glared at her. "He's Izzie's BROTHER! What if he ends up falling for you and you hurt him, just like you've hurt the OTHER guys that have fallen for you? What if you fall for HIM and it doesn't work out, huh? That's going to put Iz in the middle and that's not a good thing."

"It's FINE, Justine." Miriam sighed. "I told him that I can't be in a relationship and why. He's not looking for a relationship with me either, he just got a divorce, a divorce that he really didn't want. We just needed someone last night-"

"-you needed him quite a few times last night, not to mention about thirty minutes ago. Hell, if your legs were shaking as much as mine were after that last one, I'm surprised you're even walking-" Justine quipped

"-he's cool with it just being sex and he knows that this isn't going to happen again, it was a one-night thing. He loves Izzie just as much as we do and we're not going to let things get weird just because we got it on one night. We're not going to put her in the middle, I promise." Miriam held up the envelope and grabbed her duffel bag and Justine's rental car keys. "I'll be back soon."

"Hurry." Justine tapped the watch on her wrist. "It's almost seven and the funeral starts at nine."

"I know." Miriam whispered, her expression turning sad as she walked out of the room.

She drove quickly to the home in Searsmont. She walked into the house, tears pricking her eyes as she saw that her mother's outline was still taped on the floor, her blood still surrounding the area. "Oh Mom." She whispered. "I really don't want to have to leave, but I know you understand why we're going. You're the one that made the arrangements for us, after all. Even in death, you're still looking out for us." She turned and walked to a closet, pulling out a motorcycle helmet and a stack of photo albums. She flipped through the albums until she found what she was looking for. It was a picture of herself and her sisters, taken the last time they had all been able to get together at Christmas two years ago. The three of them sat in front of a Christmas tree, all three of them smiling happily. Swiping at tears, Miriam removed the photo and placed it in the envelope. She turned and set it on the coffee table, propping it up against the helmet. She gathered up the photo albums and a set of car keys and headed for the door, giving the home she'd grown up in one final glance. "God, I hope I come back soon." She whispered to herself, tears streaming down her cheeks as she walked out of the house, leaving the front door unlocked. She walked to the garage and placed the albums in the back of a jeep before walking out to Justine's car to get the suitcases and her duffel bag. She carried the luggage to the jeep before she climbed inside of it, driving quickly into town. She parked the car in a supermarket parking lot and quickly ran behind the building. After making sure that she wasn't being watched, she lifted off, flying back to her home before climbing into Justine's car and driving back to the hotel.

As soon as she re-entered her room, she spotted Matt, sitting at a table as he played checkers with Isabelle. She smiled softly at him. "You might as well prepare to lose. She's a genius at the game."

"I don't know." He reached out, ruffling Isabelle's hair as she beamed reverently at him. "I've been known to play a mean game of checkers a time or two in my life."

"Don't come crying to me when she kicks your ass." Miriam winked at Matt as he turned to look at her. They stared at each other for a moment before looking away simultaneously, blushing. Isabelle's eyes widened as they darted back and forth between her half-brother and half-sister. Grinning, she began to make a move on the checkerboard before she finally started giggling.

Matt turned his attention back to the game and frowned. "Wait a minute, did you just-?" He shook his head "I'm cornered! Every move I make, you're going to jump me, repeatedly!" He sighed. "Genius." He moved a piece and watched as Isabelle quickly jumped all of his pieces with one man and quickly swept his men off of the board. "I should have listened to your big sister, huh?"

As she applied her makeup, Miriam grinned. "Told you so." She turned and caught Matt's eye again, both of them smiling softly at each other as Justine stepped out of the bathroom dressed in another black suit. She caught the look between her sister and Matt and rolled her eyes.

"Lovely." She muttered. Leaning towards her sister, she shook her head. "You break his heart and screw this up for Iz, you and I are going to have a reckoning." She hissed at her sister in a hushed tone.

"I already told you, it's fine." Miriam whispered.

"Right. It was a one time thing that'll never happen again and you two aren't even remotely interested in having a relationship. That's why you're eye-fucking each other in front of our sister." Justine whispered. "Try to show a little decorum and not bang him on Mom's coffin, okay?"

"You have no idea how close you are to getting your ass kicked by me, are you?" Miriam glared at her.

Matt glanced over at the sisters, noticing the way they glared at each other. "Is everything okay?" He asked nervously.

Justine turned to him and nodded. "We're good." She started to say something else and made a face as someone knocked on the door. Looking through the peephole, she sighed. "It's Godmommy Dearest."

"Be nice, Justine. She's been working as hard as she can to keep us safe, getting our new paperwork together. If not for her, we wouldn't have known about Bob's plan to snatch us up until Matt heard it yesterday afternoon."

"I guess." Justine opened the door and stepped back as Angela walked inside, dressed again in her heavy fur coat and gloves. She turned and stroked Justine's cheek with her gloved hand, smiling sadly.

"You and your sisters look so much like your mother it almost makes my heart hurt remembering her." She sighed. "She was my best friend when we were younger. I've always regretted not staying as close with her over the years as I could have." Turning to Miriam, she nodded. "Ready?"

"For this?" Miriam shook her head. "No. I'm not ready for any of it."

"Well, get ready. If you girls want to keep your freedom, you're going to have to be." She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. "What's the plan? I don't want to know where you're going and I haven't looked at those papers, so I don't know your new names. I just want to know how you're planning to escape."

"As soon as the service is over, you two are going to walk us to Justine's car. In case anyone's watching, we're going to tell you both that we'll meet you both back here. You two need to come here and act like nothing's wrong. That way when Bob and his cronies arrive, you'll be able to give plausible deniability in helping us escape. As soon as we leave the cemetery, we're going to drive around town and lose anyone who follows us. We're going to leave Justine's car in an alley and make ourselves and Isabelle invisible while we walk to Mom's jeep. I've already packed our things in it and parked it in a parking lot near that alley. We'll drive out of town until we reach the Maine border where we'll buy another car and lose the jeep. From there, we'll disappear." Miriam sighed. "At least, we'll disappear until we can figure out a way to neutralize Bob and return to our lives." She and Matt exchanged a look as Angela raised her eyebrows.

"Getting to know Isabelle's sisters as well, are you?" She asked as Matt blushed.

"By the way, in case my twin sister didn't tell you, we have a rather odd little connection." Justine smirked. "When she feels pain, I feel it. When she experiences an emotion, if it's strong enough, I feel it too, and when she feels an extremely pleasurable sensation, I feel THAT as well. Thanks for the lack of sleep, by the way."

Matt's eyes widened as his face grew even redder. "I didn't know about that." He turned to Miriam as she shrugged.

"Hey, I owed her for all the times she and her boyfriend in the Big Easy interrupted my break at work." She turned to Isabelle. "Ready to do this, Kiddo?"

Ignoring Angela, Isabelle grabbed Matt's hand in hers, then reached out and took Miriam's. Smiling softly, she placed their hands together before walking over to Matt's other side, taking his free hand. She turned to Justine, holding out her other hand and beamed as her older sister took it, squeezing it gently. Angela looked at the four of them sadly. "It's too bad that Matt isn't able to go along with the three of you. I'm sure though that you'll be seeing him again as soon as we can clear all of this up." She turned and followed the foursome out of the room, closing the door behind her.

* * *

Lakeside Cemetery: Searsmont, Maine

Elle pulled up beside the cemetery and watched the funeral as it began from her car, a pair of binoculars held up to her face, a Slusho drink balanced in her lap. She set the binoculars down for a moment as she grabbed a walkie-talkie. "Remember. Let them drive away. I'll follow their car a few blocks and radio you when it's time to make your moves."

"Yes Ma'am." A voice crackled through on the device.

Elle grabbed the binoculars again and watched as the Pratt sisters sat down with Matt Parkman sitting between Isabelle and Miriam, with Justine sitting on Miriam's other side. "Great, twins." She muttered. "Which one of you hateful bitches was it that smacked my daddy down yesterday? Shit! I can't tell them apart!"

Matt held Isabelle and Miriam's hands as Angela walked up to a lectern near the coffin, her eyes filling with tears. "I met Victoria over forty years ago when we were roommates in college. She was there getting a degree in biology, I was getting my MRS." She smiled softly as she continued. "We quickly became close friends, continuing our friendship after we graduated from college. She was my maid of honor at my wedding to my dear husband Arthur and godmother to my oldest son, Nathan. I was so incredibly honored when she asked me to not only have the honor of being godmother to her two oldest daughters Miriam and Justine, but also to her youngest child, her sweet daughter Isabelle. Life got in the way, and we rarely saw each other in the last twenty years, but we always tried hard to keep in touch through letters and phone calls. Saying goodbye to her today is so very difficult, but I look over at her lovely girls and I can almost see her looking back at me again." Angela blinked back tears as she unfolded a sheet of paper. "When we were younger, Victoria found this poem. She asked me to read it at her funeral if I survived her and after I read it, I asked her to do the same if the situation was reversed." Clearing her throat, she began to read.

"Do not stand at my grave and weep,  
I did not die, I do not sleep."

Miriam began to sob, bowing her head as she buried her face in her hands. Matt and Justine both reached out, patting her shoulders as Justine tried not to cry beside her.

"I am in a thousand winds that blow,  
I am the softly falling snow.  
I am in the gentle showers of rain,  
I am in the fields of ripening grain.  
I am in the morning hush,  
I am in the graceful rush."

Justine finally broke down, crying softly as Miriam sat up and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Matt watched the twins sadly as they embraced each other, crying on one another's shoulders.

"Of beautiful birds in circling flight,  
I am the starshine of the night.  
I am in the flowers that bloom,  
I am in a quiet room."

Matt felt Isabelle squeeze his hand softly. He turned to look at her, hugging her as she cried quietly, her head bowed as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"I am in the birds that sing,  
I am in each lovely thing.  
Do not stand at my grave and cry,  
I am not there, I did not die."

Angela quickly folded the paper, placing it in her coat pocket as she stepped down and sat beside Isabelle. She stared straight ahead as a minister stepped forward to give a sermon, the only betrayal of emotion in her impassive face was the redness of her nose as she twisted a handkerchief in her hands.

From behind the mausoleum, Sylar watched the funeral, his eyes narrowing as he spotted the sisters and recognized Matt as the police officer that had shot at him last year. "So you survived, huh?" He laughed softly. He studied the twins, licking his lips. "How very nice and pretty. I've never, killed twins before." He sighed softly as he continued to watch them, thinking of a way to follow them and attack as soon as they'd left the cemetery.

Out of the corner of his eye, Matt noticed the way Isabelle suddenly sat up straight, her eyes scanning the cemetery. He turned to her as her hand began to shake in his, before she closed her eyes, her brow furrowing as she concentrated.

"GABRIEL!" Sylar turned around, shocked as his mother started walking towards him. She pointed to the scissors in her chest as she glared at him. "LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO ME!"

Sylar began to tremble as he cowered against the wall of the mausoleum, not believing his eyes. "Mother, keep it down." He whispered.

"LOOK AT ME! LOOK WHAT YOU DID, GABRIEL! WHAT DO YOU THINK GOD WILL DO TO YOU NOW?"

Sylar pulled his knees to his chest as he closed his eyes. "You're not real, go away." He whispered to himself. "Go away Mother." He opened his eyes and looked around, realizing his mother was gone. His heart pounding, he jumped up and ran towards the street and his car. Climbing inside, he stared at the funeral for a moment and shook his head. "Fuck this, I'll catch them later. I'm not going in there again." Cranking up his car, he drove away from the cemetery and parked a block away where he could continue to watch for the sisters' car.

At the funeral, Isabelle's eyes opened as she smiled softly. "Bad man's going away." She whispered.

"What?" Matt lowered his head to hers.

Isabelle smiled enigmatically at him. "I made the bad man run away."

"What bad man, Iz?" Matt asked.

Isabelle shook her head. "A very bad man." She rested her head on her brother's shoulder as she sighed. "Mama's gone."

"I know." Matt hugged her. "I'm so sorry."

As soon as the funeral ended, Matt waited with Angela as the twins hugged and shook the hands of the attendees, nodding and trying to smile kindly as they passed. Once the final person had left, they turned and walked over to Matt and Angela as Isabelle joined them, staring at the ground with a miserable expression on her face. "I guess it's time." Miriam whispered, her voice choked up.

"Take care of yourselves." Angela wiped quickly at a tear that had begun to trickle down her cheek. "Please take care of yourselves."

"We will. Thanks for everything." Miriam turned to Matt as Justine spoke with Angela for a moment and took his hand. "Walk us to the car?" Matt nodded and held her hand, walking with Miriam and Isabelle to the car as Justine followed behind, holding Angela's gloved hand. Miriam spotted Elle's car, her eyes narrowing. "Be right back."

"Miriam!" Matt sighed as she ignored him, stomping quickly over to the small car that Elle was sitting in.

"Oh shit." Elle quickly turned on the car for a moment, rolling up the power window before turning it back off as Miriam approached. "What the fuck do you want?" She asked through the closed window.

Miriam smirked as she rested her hand on the hood of the car, her fingers caressing the metal for a moment. "Just wanted to give you a heads up and let you know that we're heading back to the hotel now. Make sure to tell your 'Daddy' that, okay Bitch Crazy?"

"Fine." Elle's mouth screwed up as Miriam nodded and walked away. "Bitch." She muttered. "I'm going to have so much fun introducing you to shock therapy once Daddy deactivates all your little powers."

Miriam joined her sisters, Angela and Matt at the car. "We'll see you both at the hotel in just a few minutes." She said, her eyes filling with tears.

Angela cleared her throat and nodded. "We'll have dinner. I'm paying, I insist. I won't take no for an answer, either." She stroked Isabelle's hair for a moment, frowning sadly at the way the girl ducked away from her hand. "Be careful." She whispered before turning to Matt. "I'll be waiting for you in my car."

Matt turned to Justine and hugged her tightly. "Take care of yourself."

"I will." Justine squeezed him back and kissed his cheek. "I hope you're not going to get into a lot of trouble over this."

"I don't know what's about to happen and I don't know where you're going." He whispered. "That's the truth, it's all they'll be able to get out of me." He watched as Justine quickly climbed into the car and turned to Isabelle. He bent down, kissing her cheek as she began to cry again. "Oh, it's okay, Iz. We'll see each other soon, I promise." He hugged her as she began to sob. "Think I'm going to find my baby sister and then just walk away from her forever? Think again. I'll see you soon, I swear." He winked at her. "And I'll work on my checkers game until then." She smiled softly at him as he kissed her cheek one last time. "Go on, get in." He opened the car door and held her hand as she climbed in. "I love you, Isabelle." He whispered as he slowly let go of her hand and closed the door. With tears in his eyes, he turned to Miriam. "Please, take care of her."

"I will." She stepped close to him and took his hands in hers, "Be careful, okay? I'd hate to come back and find out that Bob made your life a living hell because of this, or worse." She let go of his hand for a moment and reached into her pocket. Pulling out a small slip of paper, she pressed it into his hand. "Go there later after Bob questions you. I've left something for you. It's an alibi of sorts, to keep Bob from thinking that you're involved in this."

"Okay." Matt sighed. "Just one night, no emotional attachments, right?"

"Right." Miriam looked up at him, her face tightening for a moment. "It was just sex."

"Right." He hugged her quickly, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment before Miriam turned to climb into the car. "To hell with it." He grabbed her arm and turned her around, pressing her against the car as he kissed her deeply, sighing happily as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, her body pressing against his.

In her car, Elle's eyes widened. "EW! Talk about keeping it in the family! Fucking twisted, Man!"

After a moment, Matt stepped away as Miriam continued to lean against the car, breathing heavily. He winked at her. "I'll be seeing you soon, too."

"Definitely." Miriam whispered as she watched him walk away. She took a deep breath and climbed into the driver's seat, glancing over at Justine, spotting the way her sister shook her head at her. "What?"

"Yeah, I didn't sense any emotion at all there. You two aren't even CLOSE to falling for each other. Your feelings are totally safe." Justine said sarcastically.

"Shut up." Miriam heard a giggle from the back seat and turned to see Isabelle beaming at her. "Well? Are YOU okay with the idea of me having had a one-nighter with your brother?" Isabelle shrugged and clapped her hands, smiling broadly. "Great, my sister's going to start shipping me with her brother." She sighed as she started the car. "Buckle up everybody."

Justine frowned. "Is your head in this?"

"My head's never been anywhere else." Miriam cranked up the car and drove away, tires squealing as she turned a corner.

"SHIT!" Elle tried to start her car and groaned as nothing happened when she turned the key. "What the blue FUCK?" She grabbed her walkie-talkie and turned it on. "My car just died. They're driving a beige Altima with Maine tags, license plate RNTL105, heading South from the cemetery. GET THEM!"

Sylar grinned as he spotted the sisters' car. He started his own car and pulled onto the street, following them as they flew along, weaving in and out of the traffic and taking constant turns. He shook his head as he followed them. "You girls think you're being so smart, don't you? You KNOW you're being followed too. It won't help. You're not getting away from me, not with three extraordinary powers for me to take." He noticed the way the teenager turned in the backseat to stare out the window at him. "Hello Kid." He whispered to himself. "Hope you don't mind if I take that lovely power you have after I kill you and your sisters."

Miriam glanced in the rearview mirror, frowning as she noticed Isabelle start to shake. "Iz? You okay?"

Isabelle closed her eyes. "Bad man! Go 'way!" Her brow furrowed as she began to concentrate.

"Izzie?" Miriam watched her, concerned. "Izzie, are you okay?"

"MIRIAM! Watch the road or let me drive, damn!" Justine grabbed the steering wheel, jerking them back over on their side of the road as Miriam drifted over the line. Miriam cursed and started watching the road again, her foot pressing on the gas pedal to drive faster.

Sylar's eyes narrowed as the car sped ahead of him. "Not so fast, Girls." His eyes widened and he slammed on the brakes as his mother appeared in front of his car. She pointed his finger at him accusingly, glaring at him as he stared back at her, his heart pounding with fear. He stared for a moment, wondering if he was going mad until he was jerked out of his reverie by the sound of honking horns behind him as cars drove around him, the drivers screaming insults as they passed. He blinked, realizing his mother had disappeared—along with the sisters' car. Driving ahead, ignoring the honks behind him, he scanned the streets as he drove, looking for the Altima. Finally he pulled into a parking lot and parked, slamming his fist into the steering wheel. "DAMMIT!"

The Altima pulled into an alley behind the supermarket. The twins quickly climbed out, taking the papers Angela had given them earlier with them. Justine grabbed the luggage and the photo albums as Miriam took Isabelle's hand. They quickly became invisible and ran over to their mother's jeep, climbing inside as they reappeared and starting the vehicle. "Think we were followed?" Miriam asked nervously.

"Only one way to find out." Justine shrugged. "If we were, they'll end up descending on us soon and then-"

"-and then we'll give them a fight to remember." Miriam cranked up the jeep and sped out of the parking lot, driving southeast towards Augusta.

Elle pouted in her car as she waited for a tow-truck. She snatched up the walkie-talkie and pressed a button. "Tell me you have those little bitches." She snarled.

"No, we don't. " The voice was angry and gruff. "We lost them when we got behind some jackass that slammed on his brakes in the middle of the road about two miles from the cemetery. When we finally got around him, we'd lost the girls."

Elle turned off the walkie-talkie, her bottom lip poking out as she picked up her cell phone. She slowly dialed a number and sighed. "Daddy? I have bad news."

* * *

Augusta, Maine

They pulled into a parking lot across the street from a car dealership. Opening the thick manila envelope, they began to pass out identifications to one another as well as credit cards for the twins. Miriam stared at her new driver's license and birth certificate. "Everything on it is different except for my first name and date of birth, yours?"

"Yep." Justine nodded. "We are now Justine, Miriam and Isabelle Conner, daughters of Cynthia and Lewis Conner. Our birthdays are still the same, but according to this, we were now born in Michigan instead of Maine." She smiled happily as she found a college degree and paperwork. "OH! I've still got a Master's in criminology and criminal psychology and according to this, I used to be a homicide detective in Green Bay! Wherever we go, I can still be a cop!"

"Oh, goody." Miriam rolled her eyes. "Okay." She turned to Isabelle. "Think you can handle that? You still answer to Isabelle, but your last name is Connor now. Remember that, okay?" Isabelle nodded.

"WHOA!" Miriam turned, her eyes widening as Justine pulled thick stacks of bills out of the envelope. "Holy shit on a stick!"

"How much is there?"

Justine counted up the stacks, shaking her head. "At least a hundred thousand."

Miriam whistled softly. "Whoa." She pulled out a bank statement, gasping. "We've got ten million dollars in a bank in the Cayman Islands."

"Are you KIDDING me?" Justine snatched the statement from her and read it. "Okay, I take back every bitchy thing I ever said about our godfather. I love that man now like a daddy and I always will. As soon as this is over, I'm going to his grave to kiss his headstone."

"You and me both, Girlie." Miriam glanced towards the car dealership. "Feel like spending some of that cash now?"

Justine grinned. "Yep! We're going to drive to wherever the hell we want in style!" She noticed Miriam's face fall as she read a note in the envelope. "What?"

"If you want to call Remy one last time, you need to do it now." Miriam held up the note. "It's from Angela. She says that they'll be able to trace our cell phones if we keep them, so we need to lose them as soon as we can."

"Damn." Justine slumped in her seat. "What do I say to him?"

"Open your heart, tell him what's in it, and tell him that you're sorry that you can't come back." Miriam took a few stacks of the bills and climbed out of the car. "I'll buy a car and bring it over here for us to load up, okay?" Justine nodded mutely. "Then I'll drive this jeep to Lewiston and you follow me. We'll leave the jeep there so they don't trace us to this dealership and figure out who we are." She gave Justine's hand a quick squeeze. "I'll be right back."

"Okay." Justine whispered.

Miriam looked around to make sure no one was watching and thought about the woman her Uncle Daniel had introduced her to just a month before his death. Her name had been Candice and she had been able to change her appearance at will. Closing her eyes, she turned into a tall blond with an hourglass figure and huge breasts. She turned and strutted across the street over to the dealership. Walking into the building, she giggled nervously as a salesman approached her, staring at her chest. "I'd like to buy a car please." She giggled again.

"Yes ma'am." He looked around, licking his lips. "What kind of car do you want?"

She opened her purse and pulled out a stack of bills, fanning cleavage as his eyes widened. "What'll THIS get me?"

Justine set her cell phone in the pocket of the passenger side door, tears streaming down her cheeks as Isabelle leaned forward, patting her shoulder. "Thanks, Iz." She whispered. She turned as a horn honked beside her, frowning at the busty blond in the green SUV. Rolling down her window, she glared. "Yeah?"

The blond stared down at herself. "Shit! Sorry!" Justine gasped as the blond turned into Miriam. "Like the new car?"

"What is it?"

"Armada. I got it fully loaded with heated leather seats AND a DVD system to keep Izzie entertained while we drive." Miriam grinned.

"Great. Now we just have to buy her some DVD's, Brainiac." Justine muttered.

"What crawled up YOUR ass?" Miriam rolled her eyes. She nodded as Justine looked away. "Oh. Yeah. Sorry. Did you talk to him?" Justine nodded, her chin trembling. "What did you tell him?"

"I told him that I wasn't coming back and that I was sorry."

"What did HE say?"

Justine shook her head, swiping tears away angrily. "He told me that I was a cold, unfeeling bitch who was just making up excuses because I didn't want a relationship."

Miriam snorted. "PRICK! Loved you, my ass!"

Justine scooted over to the driver's seat of the jeep and cranked it up. "Let's just go."

Miriam nodded. "Okay. I'll follow you two. When we get to Lewiston-"

"-I know, okay?" Justine pulled out of the parking lot as Miriam shook her head.

"No use crying over an asshole like that, Juss." She thought of Matt for a moment and shook her head. "And there's no use crying over HIM either, Girl!" She said to herself. She pulled out of the parking lot and followed the jeep out of town.

* * *

Bangor Radisson: Bangor, Maine

Matt sat on the bed, his heart heavy as he thought about his sister. "God, let her be okay. Let the girls know what they're doing." He whispered to himself. He stood and walked to the bathroom, changing out of his suit into a sweatshirt and jeans. Lying back on the bed, he thought about the night he'd spent in it with Miriam. Rolling over, he found the pillow she'd used and hugged it to his chest, smelling her perfume as he took a nap.

He awoke to hear someone banging on the door, glancing at the clock, he noticed that it was almost five o'clock. "Show time." He muttered to himself. Plastering a smile on his face, he opened it, the smile falling as he saw Bob and Elle glaring at him, a miserable looking Angela standing beside them.

"Expecting someone else?" Bob snarled.

"Like maybe that Pratt girl you played tonsil hockey with after her mother's funeral? Really classy, by the way." Elle smirked. "Oh but wait, why would you be waiting for HER when you obviously knew she was running away."

"You are so close to losing Molly, Matthew." Bob glared at him. "I am so disappointed." He pushed his way inside, Elle following him as she shoved Angela into the room.

Elle stared at the messy bed. "Oh, did we interrupt nap time?"

"As a matter of fact you did." Matt sat on the bed calmly. "What's this about the girls running away?"

"Don't play dumb." Elle snorted. "You know they were planning on taking off. You knew that bitch was going to fuck up the computers to my car too, so it wouldn't start. Those little embraces I saw at the cemetery? You were hugging them all goodbye. That's why you shoved your tongue down that one twin's throat."

"They haven't left! They couldn't have! They promised to meet me for dinner." Matt looked away, trying not to cry. "They promised me that they were going to move to New York so that I could be near Isabelle."

"Oh boo-hoo!" Elle rolled her eyes as she turned to her father. "Daddy, he's lying."

"I am NOT lying!" Matt glared at her. He turned to Bob. "They're really gone?"

"You didn't know?" Bob asked.

"No."

"Then why did you hug them all so much at the car and kiss one of them like you were never going to see her again?" Elle raised an eyebrow.

Matt shrugged. "I hugged all of them because I've gotten to know them and like them all in the last day since I've met them. One of them IS my sister after all. They were very upset after their mother's funeral. If someone YOU cared about was crying and upset, wouldn't YOU hug them?"

"Why didn't you ride back with them?" Bob asked.

Matt sighed. "They said that they wanted to be alone to talk."

"And the tonsil hockey?" Elle added.

Matt blushed as he stared at the ground. "Last night we sort of-" he sighed and glanced up at Bob, shame-faced "-Miriam and I, we, um-"

"-I understand." Bob made a face. "Miriam can be quite convincing when she wants to be, I'm sure. Probably told you that you two would live happily ever after with Isabelle and Molly in New York, I'm sure." Matt lowered his head again, nodding. "Good heavens, Parkman. I thought you'd be smarter than to fall for a pretty girl's promises like that. Especially one that, from what I gather, probably opens her legs to every man she meets."

Matt dug his nails into his palm to keep from punching the smug bastard standing in front of him. "I thought I was smarter than that too. I suppose we all have fallen for a pretty girl's lines once or twice in our lives."

"I seem to remember a stripper in Atlantic City that pushed YOUR buttons once, Bob." Angela quipped.

Bob glared at Angela. "Now you. Did you help those girls escape?"

Angela matched his glare. "Of course I did you simple-minded fool! Do you honestly think I'd let YOU lock my goddaughters up?" She laughed softly as Bob fumed.

"Where did they go?" He snarled.

"I have no idea." As Elle's hands started to spark, she rolled her eyes. "Do you really think THAT scares me, Little Girl?" She turned her steely gaze to Elle, nodding as Elle quickly put her hands down. Turning back to Bob, she sniffed imperiously. "I'm starting to wish that Kaito and I hadn't agreed to let you run everything. You're obviously not equipped to run a Port-a-Potty, much less an intricate organization such as ours."

"WHERE ARE THE PRATTS?" Bob shouted.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Angela yelled back. "I told them not to tell me where they were going and to never contact me again after I gave them enough money to bankroll a move to Timbuktu if that's where they felt like living." As Bob continued to glare at her, she sighed and stood. "Now, if you're quite finished, I need to return to New York. I need to prepare for my sons' returns next month, which they'd still better be doing. I want them back next month unharmed, untested, and" she glared at Elle "unmolested by you." She swept past Elle and Bob, daring them to stop her with her eyes. Turning back to Parkman, she smiled softly. "I hope you get to see your sister again soon. Also? Don't listen to Bob. I think Miriam is a truly lovely person and I doubt that anything she told you last night when you became lovers was anything short of the truth. You two seemed quite good together today. I hope when they all return, once Bob's idiotic threats have been lifted, that you two can pick up where you left off."

Matt looked away. "After running away with my sister, I don't know about that."

Angela nodded and opened the door to leave, glaring at the large, muscular man that stood in the doorway. She glanced over at Bob. "One of your goons?" Bob rolled his eyes and looked away. She stepped past the man and walked out of the room.

Bob turned to him. "What do you want?"

The guy held up a helmet and a letter. "This was at the Pratt home. It was addressed to Matt Parkman."

Bob took the letter and helmet from him and read the letter quickly before glancing at the photograph and key enclosed. Sighing, he handed everything to Matt. "It's from Miriam." He turned with Elle to leave as Matt cleared his throat. "Yes?" Bob asked, turning back to Matt for a moment.

"So am I going to lose Molly now?" He asked warily.

Bob shook his head. "No. I believe you when you say you didn't know they were leaving. I can't see you letting your little sister go after just finding out that she exists."

"Thank you." Matt watched as Bob and Elle left, sagging with relief as he exhaled slowly. He studied the key for a moment and the helmet, then looked at the photograph, smiling softly. He lay back on the bed as he unfolded the letter, his blood boiling as he thought of Bob reading it first.

_Matt,_

_I know you're probably going to be so angry when you hear that we've run off, but you have to understand, if we stayed, I know Mr. Bishop would try to have us locked away, including Isabelle. I don't want you to be angry at us, or sad. We're doing it to protect ourselves and our sister, your sister too._

_Last night and this morning, I had probably one of the best times of my life. __I know that you're probably thinki__ng that I used you to keep you from realizing that we were going to run, but it's not true. I have never spent a night in bed with another man, much less slept in his arms. I've always left as soon as I could. During one of the saddest moments of my life, you gave me one of my happiest. Thank you for that. I'll never forget the way it felt waking up beside you, however what I said still stands. I can't fall in love with you Matt, and not just because it would hurt Isabelle if we didn't work out. As I said last night, losing Mom has been extremely hard on me. I'm immortal, Matt. I can't stand the idea of falling in love with someone, just to watch them die while I never grow old. If I could allow myself to fall for someone, you would be the first person on my list, but I can't do that. I'm not strong enough._

_We're going to try to see you as soon as we can. Once Bob's threats have ended, once we know that we can resume our lives, we're going to get in touch with you. We're going to return to you so you can be a part of __Izzie's__ life. She is absolutely crazy about you and I know she wants you in her life as much as we're in it. I want you in my life too, as my friend. I hope you can accept that. _

_I have a request. In the hotel parking lot, you'll find a __dark green, 2002 Ducati 998 Superbike. I've enclosed the key to it and a helmet for you to wear when you ride it. I don't want you getting a head injury if I'm not there to heal it. Take care of __it,__ it's my prized possession and a limited edition in Matrix green. __Also?__ Watch out, it's a pretty wicked little bike, and it can reach up to 161 MPH. I should know__ I've gotten it to go that fast many, many times. _

_Until we see you again, take care of yourself._

_Miriam_

Matt smiled softly to himself as he carefully folded the letter and tucked it away in his wallet with the photograph. Studying the key, he wiggled his eyebrows, grinning. "Vroom, vroom." He whispered to himself.

* * *

Work cited in this chapter: "Do Not Stand at my Grave and Weep" by Mary Elizabeth Frye 


	7. Chapter 7: Six Months Later

Chapter Seven: Six Months Later

October 1, 2007

Tokyo, Japan

Hiro Nakamura made his way down the hall of Yamagato Industries, nodding to his coworkers. Passing Ando in the hall, he nodded to his friend before he turned to go into the small office he'd recently been given with his promotion. Closing the door, he turned and jumped back as a woman materialized in a chair in front of him. "Greato Scotto!" He yelped. Frowning, he stared at her, realizing that she seemed very familiar. "Victoria Pratt?" He looked around, confused. "Am I back in 1977 again?"

The woman shook her head, her long reddish blond hair flowing around her shoulders. "Oh no, you're still in good old 2007. I'm not Victoria, I'm her daughter, Miriam." She stood and bowed to him before sitting back down as he breathed a sigh of relief. "I've heard a lot about you, Mr. Nakamura. I met your father many years ago, he was a good man. I was sorry to hear about his death."

Hiro lowered his eyes, his expression sad. "I was very sad to lose him."

"I understand." Miriam watched as Hiro walked past her and sat in his chair. "My mother was killed shortly after your father. She was murdered. She was murdered by the same man who killed your father: MY father, Adam Munroe." At the mention of Adam's name, Hiro lifted his head, his lips tightening into an angry line.

"He was your father?"

She nodded, tears sparkling in her eyes. "I only met him once when I was ten. I didn't know much about him, but yes he was my father." Hiro's gaze landed on her hands, watching the way she gripped the arms of the chair she sat in. "As far as I'm concerned, he's dead to me now."

"I can understand that." Hiro nodded sadly.

"I have two sisters, a twin named Justine and a younger half-sister named Isabelle. Isabelle is autistic. She's the one who found Mom's body after she was murdered."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"She has nightmares every night, Mr. Nakamura." Miriam's grip on the chair tightened, her knuckles turning white. "After Mom died, the head of the organization that your father and my mother were members of decided that my sisters and I were too dangerous to stay in the general population, given our powers and wanted to lock us away. My godmother, Angela Petrelli, helped us get away and go into hiding after Mom's funeral. We barely had time to mourn our mother before we had to change our names and go underground. Izzie has nightmares, as I said earlier. She wakes up screaming, either because she's dreamed about finding Mom's body again, or she's dreamed that the people that want to lock us up had found us. She also finally got to meet a brother that she never knew she had at Mom's funeral. They have the same father. They bonded, Mr. Nakamura. They became very close in the short time they had to get to know each other. That's a very rare thing in an autistic person. Her separation from Matt-"

"-Matt Parkman?" Hiro's face lit up for a moment. "I know him!"

Miriam smiled sweetly. "He told me. Izzie bonded with him so closely. Being separated from him, along with everything else that has happened has caused her to withdraw somewhat. She's been through so much, we all have. I ultimately blame it all on Adam. If he hadn't killed Mom, we wouldn't be in this situation now."

Hiro stared at the top of his desk sadly as he played with a pen. "I understand that you and your sisters have suffered a great deal. I understand the pain of losing a parent." He looked up at her. "What can I do to help you?"

Miriam's lips tightened for a moment. "I understand that you were the last person to see my-" she grimaced "-ADAM before he disappeared. I need to know if you killed him."

Hiro looked at her for a moment before returning his gaze to the desk, remembering how he'd buried Adam alive near his own father's grave. He didn't notice the fleeting smile that crossed Miriam's lips before she frowned again. "He is in a place where he will never hurt anyone again." He said softly.

"But is he dead?"

"I did not feel right killing him, but I can assure you, where he is, he is suffering there more than he ever would in death and he can never hurt another living soul." Hiro raised his eyes to meet hers. "I lost a parent to him too. He IS being punished for his crimes."

Miriam nodded and stood. "Thank you for hearing me out and thank you for your time." Hiro reached out to shake her hand, frowning when she shook her head, quickly placing her hands behind her back. "I have a power that's similar to Peter Petrelli's. Like Peter, I absorb other's powers, but I have to touch you first. Teleportation? Time travel? Those powers would be much too tempting for me to have. I don't think I'd use them properly." She laughed softly. "Hell, I'd probably end up creating some sort of rift."

"I have worried about doing that too." Hiro returned her smile.

"I know my limits, Mr. Nakamura." She bowed to him as he bowed as well. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm about to do something a tad shocking. The people that are looking for me, they know what I look like and I'm rather afraid that they'd be watching this place. They know that you're the last person to see Adam alive and they have to know that I want vengeance." Hiro's eyes widened as her appearance changed, making herself look like a young Japanese business woman. "I don't think they'd notice me like this." She winked at him before turning and leaving the room.

Hiro sat down at his desk, burying his face in his hands, regretting the day he ever met the man he once thought was Takezo Kensei.

She made her way downstairs to the car she'd rented at the airport and drove towards the cemetery. Stepping out of the car, Miriam quickly changed her appearance back to her normal self. She searched the grounds until she found the grave of Kaito Nakamura, then began to walk around, her eyes closed as she listened to see if she could hear a stray thought.

_-Have to find a way out of here. __Stupid carp, trapping me down here.__ How long has it been now? Must find a way out of here-_

Smirking, Miriam stood over the place where her father was buried, her eyes narrowing as she stared down at the grass under her feet. Closing her eyes again, she sent him a message.

_Those little eyes so helpless and appealing, one day will flash and send you crashing through the ceiling._

_WHO IS THAT? _

_I remember you sang that song the day I first met you. That's the first thing I remembered about you, hearing your voice as you sang. I remember running down the hall to see you before Justine could, wondering who you were._

_MIRIAM? Oh, thank the heavens child. Get me out of here, Darling._

_I remember you telling me that you were my father. I didn't believe you at first. Even when Mom confirmed it, I still didn't want to believe it. Now that I know that you murdered my mother, I don't want to believe it at all. _

_Darling, Darling, I didn't MURDER your mother.__ It was self-defense. Your mother was out of line and threatening me with a gun.__ I came to her__ for help__, with Peter__ Petrelli__. We were searching for that virus-_

_-the virus you tried to release on the world in March? The same virus you tried to release before Justine and I were even born? We could have died before we ever entered this world because of you, you son of a bitch!_

_I can see that you've been listening to the lies of others, my child. Please, dig me up. Get me out of here and I'll tell you the real truth._

_I already know the real truth._ Miriam sneered as her eyes opened, glaring angrily at the ground. _I know that you murdered my mother as part of a vendetta. I know that you did it in cold blood to punish her for having the audacity to turn against you and agreeing to have you locked away where you belonged for trying to destroy the world. __Because of you, I don't have a mother anymore. Because of you, my sisters and I are no longer protected by her. Now Bob Bishop has us on the run, he has us in hiding. He wants to lock US up now that Mom isn't around to protect us-because of YOU! Isabelle has nightmares-_

_-Isabelle? _She could hear the disgust in his mind. _That's the child your mother had with Maury Parkman, isn't it? She's the simple-minded one, yes?_

_She is NOT simple minded. She's much smarter and has more heart than you ever will. She found Mom's body. She wakes up screaming every night because she dreams of that, or she dreams of Bob's goons finding us. _

_Why have you come here?_ Miriam's eyes narrowed as she heard how bored he sounded. _If you haven't come here to free me, why are you even here? _

_I came here to tell you something._

_Oh? And what have you come to tell me, Miriam?_

She smiled a cruel, angry smile. _I've come to tell you that I will release you one day. It won't be today or tomorrow or even a year from now. I'm going to wait until you've gone stark, raving mad, trapped in that coffin. I'm going to wait until you're a babbling lunatic. A hundred years should do it, don't you think? I can wait that long, I've certainly got the time to wait that long, thanks to you. When I finally dig your sorry, crazed ass up, I'm going to kill you, repeatedly. I'm going to do it slowly and painfully each time, taking off __limbs, torturing you, taking my time. I'm going to do it over and over again, letting you resurrect until you're begging me to end you permanently. Then I'm going to shove you back into that coffin, bury you again and wait another hundred years before I dig you up and do it again and again. After maybe a thousand years of that, you'll be so completely __insane,__ you won't even remember that you're human anymore. Maybe then, when you're mind is completely gone, I'll finally take pity on you and end you forever. But then again, maybe I won't. __Maybe I'll just continue to torture you over and over again until the end of time. Perhaps by then, I won't want to cry myself to sleep thinking about my father murdering my mother in cold blood for revenge._

Miriam waited for a few minutes for Adam to contemplate her message. After a long time, he finally responded. _You won't get the chance and you don't have all the time that you think you do, My Love. I'll find a way out of here. I still have friends and followers that you have no idea about. __They'll find me eventually and release me and when they do, I'll come after you, your twin and your SIMPLE MINDED young sister. Now, unless you want to experience unspeakable pain at mine and my follower's hands, you will DIG ME UP NOW!_

_I don't think so. No one's ever going to find you. No one's ever going to care enough._ She turned around to leave, practically skipping as she walked to her car, her father's thoughts following her all the way as he screamed out to her with his mind.

_MIRIAM! DON'T LEAVE ME OUT HERE LIKE THIS! I TAKE IT BACK! I WON'T HURT YOU, DARLING! PLEASE GET ME OUT OF HERE! MIRIAM! __**MIRIAM!**_

_**

* * *

**_

Brooklyn, New York

"MOLLY?" Matt walked into the living room, carrying a suitcase and setting it down on beside the door, his plane ticket on top of it.

"Yes?" He turned to see her leaning in her bedroom doorway, smiling up at him.

He grinned and walked over to her, giving her a hug. "You've done your homework?"

"Of course." Molly sighed. "Maya helped me with it."

"Good. Did you brush your teeth?" Molly nodded again. "Okay. Go get your pajamas on and get ready for bed." He kissed her forehead before turning and sitting on the couch, grabbing a stack of legal papers to look over.

"Matt? Can I ask you a question?" Molly walked over to him, leaning on the arm of the couch.

"Sure, Honey." He said, still reading through the papers, frowning before setting them down. "I'm going to have to get my lawyer to explain these." He rubbed his eyes as Molly watched him. "What's your question?"

"Do you think you're going to be able to get shared custody of Matthew tomorrow?"

Matt shrugged. "I hope so. I really want to have him in my life. I think I'd be a good father with him, don't you think?"

Molly smiled. "I think so too." She stared at the arm of the couch for a minute, then shrugged. "But your ex-wife has another husband now and you're alone. Aren't you afraid that they won't let you see Matthew because you're NOT married again like your ex-wife is?"

Matt shook his head. "I don't think that's going to happen." He turned to Molly, raising an eyebrow. "What made you think to ask me this?"

Molly shrugged and looked away. "I was just wondering if you had been thinking about maybe getting married again, that's all."

Matt sighed. "Molly Honey, we've been over this already. I haven't even been divorced a year. Heck, a year ago today I was still a somewhat happily married man who didn't realize that his wife was-" he shook his head "-what I'm saying is that I'm really not ready to think about dating again, much less getting married. I'd rather spend my time taking care of you." As Molly nodded slowly, he grinned. "You have someone in mind, don't you?" As Molly looked over at him, he laughed softly. "Maya?"

"I think she has a crush on you. She's always coming by early on mornings when she knows you're going to be home to make chile quiles and she's always talking about how nice and sweet and handsome you are. You two would be really nice together."

"Maya's a very beautiful woman, but I'm not interested." Matt yawned. "Now, go get ready for bed. I have to leave very early in the morning to catch my flight to Seattle, so I need to go to bed in a few minutes too."

"Why bother?" Molly sighed. "Mohinder will probably be home soon with Elle and you know how loud she gets when she starts talking."

"Yeah, I know." Matt grumbled. "I wish they'd end their dates at her place more, or at Mohinder's lab." He shook his head as he reached into his pockets, pulling out his wallet and detective shield, placing them on the table before he stood up and stretched. "I probably need to try and get some sleep now before they come back here."

"They're probably going to hang out and watch movies all night again." Molly rolled her eyes.

"I thought you liked Elle." Matt laughed.

"I did at first, but-" she shrugged "-she's too loud, she wakes me up with her giggling, and she's kind of mean to you. I don't think she likes you very much."

"I know she doesn't like me much. She does like Mohinder, however and he DOES like her, so I think I can put up with her acting like a witch around me." He winked at Molly. "And YOU want me to start dating too. What makes you think Maya wouldn't be like that, all giggly and loud?"

"Because she's not giggly and loud NOW." Molly frowned, noticing the corner of a photograph sticking out of Matt's wallet. "That's the picture of your sister and her sisters, isn't it?"

Matt nodded, his face growing sad. "Yeah, it is."

"You miss her, don't you?" Molly reached out and pulled the picture out of the wallet, studying it. "She's pretty. They're all pretty." She looked over at Matt as he nodded, his expression far away. "You think they're pretty too, right?"

"Of course I think Izzie's pretty. She's my sister."

"But you think her SISTERS are pretty too."

"You'd have to be blind not to think they're pretty."

"You think one of them's prettier than the other." Molly smiled softly as Matt turned to look at her, his ears turning red as he started to blush. "That's why you don't want to date Maya, you want to date one of Izzie's sisters."

Matt grinned sheepishly as he reached out and took the picture from her, carefully placing it back in his wallet. "Get ready for bed, Kiddo."

"I could try and find them for you. You miss them all so much and-"

"-No!" Matt turned his whole body around to Molly, gently grasping her shoulders. "Molly please, don't ever try to find them, okay? There are very bad people that are looking for them, people that would hurt them if someone found out where they were. Please, I'm begging you, don't EVER try to find them. I miss them, I do, but I'd rather keep missing them than know where they are and know they were in danger because of that. Okay? Can you promise me that you'll never try to find them?"

Molly nodded slowly, her expression grave. "I promise." She reached out, hugging him tightly. "I'll never try to find them unless YOU tell me to."

"Thank you." Matt whispered. He watched as Molly turned and walked into her bedroom, closing the door behind her. A few minutes later, he slipped into her room, tucking her in bed and kissing her goodnight before turning off the light and leaving, closing the door. He climbed into the recliner and lay back in it, grabbing his wallet and pulling out the photograph of Isabelle and her sisters. He could immediately tell which twin was Miriam, even though she and Justine were identical. He smiled sadly at the photograph, tracing Miriam's smile with his finger before setting it aside. He pulled out the letter she'd left him and carefully unfolded it, the creases in the folds deeper and threatening to fall apart with repeated readings. As he'd done many times before in the six months since he'd seen her last, Matt read over the letter again, his heart aching as he finally dozed off, the letter clutched in his hand.

He woke with a jolt an hour later, gasping and grabbing at his cheek as the small shock went through him. Hearing a giggle, he rolled his eyes. "Hello Elle."

"Rude awakening?" He turned to see her standing beside the chair, smirking down at him. Her eyes narrowed as she saw the piece of paper in his hand. "What's this?" Matt yelped angrily as she snatched the letter from his hand and started reading it out loud. "'Last night and this morning, I had probably one of the best times of my life.'"

"Give it back." Matt glared at her.

Ignoring him as she paced around the room, dodging Matt as he tried to grab her, Elle continued to read aloud. "' I know that you're probably thinking that I used you to keep you from realizing that we were going to run, but it's not true.'"

"Dammit Elle!" Matt turned to Mohinder, watching as he leaned against the door, shaking his head sadly at Elle. "Mind helping me with this?"

Elle smirked. "'I have never spent a night in bed with another man, much less slept in his arms. I've always left as soon as I could. During one of the saddest moments of my life, you gave me one of my happiest. Thank you for that. I'll never forget the way it felt waking up beside you-'"

"ELLE!" Elle stopped, surprised as Mohinder raised his voice. "That's quite rude. Give him the letter back and then leave."

Elle pouted for a moment as Mohinder stared sternly at her. "Okay Mohinder, I'm sorry."

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." Mohinder whispered, his voice steely.

Elle turned to Matt, lowering her head as she carefully folded the letter and handed it back to him. "I'm sorry for making fun of the letter." She said softly.

"Thank you, I accept your apology." Matt growled as he carefully placed the letter back in his wallet.

Elle turned back to Mohinder, chastised. "Do I have to go?"

"It's been a long day, Elle. I'm tired." Matt's eyes widened for a moment as he read the geneticist's mind. _And I'm tired of you disrespecting my friends and tired of you acting like a child. Why did I think it was a good idea to date you? I must have been mad._

Elle nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow at work." She turned back to Matt for a moment, her eyes narrowing before she turned and walked over to Mohinder. _Your friend is such a crybaby! Of course, if he's upset now, just wait until I finally track that trio of bitches down and make them regret tearing up my car__ and making me look stupid to my daddy. _"Goodnight Mohinder." Standing on her tiptoes, she kissed him passionately, her hands roving his body as Matt rolled his eyes and looked away.

"Goodnight Elle." Mohinder opened the door and showed her out before turning to Matt. "Sorry about all of that, she can be a bit-"

"-Childish?" Matt interjected as he picked up the photograph of the sisters that rested in the chair.

Mohinder covered a grin. "I was going to be nice and say impulsive, but yes, I suppose you could say that she's a bit childish." He watched as Matt studied the photo for a moment. "You miss them."

"Yeah." Matt placed the photo in his wallet. "I really do miss them like crazy." Sighing, he stretched back out in the recliner. "And you want to break up with Elle."

"Sometimes," As Matt glanced over at him, Mohinder nodded "most of the time, yes."

"Why don't you, then? If she doesn't make you happy-"

"-I don't know." _I'm trying to make sure I can be the first to hear if she's found the sisters, give you a heads-up first._ Mohinder shrugged. "She can be alright, sometimes."

Matt sighed. "Mo, don't stay with her out of a sense of obligation to me, okay? If you're only sticking with her because you want to warn me if she finds the Pratts, go ahead and dump her now. Those girls can take care of themselves, trust me. I actually WANT Elle to run across those girls. She probably wouldn't come back in one piece."

Mohinder cut his eyes towards Matt. "Do you know how irritating it is sometimes when you read my mind?" He stretched out on the couch, covering his eyes with his forearm. "Bloody hell I've had a long day."

"Elle keep wanting to play 'hide the test tube'?"

"Besides that." Mohinder laughed softly. "Bob's got me on this project, studying the genetic properties of this blood sample that quite frankly, I can't make heads or tails of, and he won't tell me what it's all about." He sat up, rubbing his temples. "The blood is so strange. It appears human, and then sometimes appears to be the blood of a lion, or a wolf. It keeps changing back and forth and I can't get a bead on it."

"Weird." Matt lay back in the recliner. "Hey, if things don't work out with Elle, you could date Maya and give me a break with Molly. She's hell-bent on fixing me up with her."

"You should give her a shot, she's a lovely girl."

"I know, but I'm not ready."

"You're hoping to see Miriam again, aren't you?" Matt looked away as Mohinder smiled kindly at him. "I'd like that for you too. Judging by the letter she left, she's hoping to see you again as well."

"Of course she is, she wants our sister to be a part of my life." Matt closed his eyes as Mohinder chuckled.

"I don't think that's the only reason."

"The night we spent together was just sex. That's all it was, that's all we agreed it would be."

"If it had been JUST sex, she wouldn't have left you that letter, she wouldn't have left you her motorcycle, and YOU wouldn't be hanging onto that letter she left as if it were the Holy Grail. Admit it, you felt a connection."

"Goodnight, Mohinder." Matt stretched out on the recliner and tried to doze off, his mind filled with memories of the night he'd spent with Miriam.

Outside of the apartment building, Elle pulled out her phone and dialed it. "He's going to Seattle tomorrow. Mohinder says it's to meet with his ex-wife and some arbitrator about custody for their son, but I'm going to follow him anyway." She listened for a moment, then sighed. "I KNOW Daddy, but I really think that if I keep following him, he'll lead me to THEM! One of them is his sister and the other one," she smirked "someone's still got 'feelings', he was sleeping with that stupid letter in his hand like it was a freakin' blankie. Okay Daddy, I'm going to go ahead and fly there now, wait for him at the airport and follow him from there. I KNOW that he'll look for them eventually. He'll slip up and then we'll get them."

* * *

October 2, 2007

Bainbridge Island, Washington

Justine groaned as her cell phone began to ring. Rolling over to answer it, she yawned. "Detective Conner." She mumbled.

"Justine, Justine, I've got one for you." She rolled her eyes as the voice of her new partner, Tom McHenry echoed in her ears.

"You're awfully chipper for five a.m." She muttered as she slowly climbed out of her bed, grabbing a suit from the closet. She had been partnered with Detective McHenry a month earlier after he, his wife and infant son moved to Seattle. His cocksure, condescending attitude had not impressed her in the least, in fact, it irritated her to the core.

"Well, some of us are just morning people, I suppose. Come on Detective, hop on that ferry, get your ass here to the University District and help me investigate this murder."

Justine sighed. "I'll be there soon as I get Isabelle together." She hung up the phone and turned to see Isabelle lurking in her bedroom doorway. "How'd you sleep?" She sighed as Isabelle looked away, resting her head on the door jamb. "More nightmares?" Isabelle nodded, her eyes fluttering sleepily. Justine walked over to her and hugged her gently. "Why didn't you come get me?" Isabelle shrugged. "Next time that happens, come to me if I don't come to you. You know you can always count on me and Mir to help you, no matter what." She kissed Isabelle's forehead. "So you didn't get much sleep, huh?" She sighed as Isabelle shook her head again. "I have to go into the city on a case. Can I trust you to stay here alone, with the doors locked and sleep in? I know you have school today, but I'm going to give you a pass, just this once so you can get some z's, is that okay with you?" Isabelle nodded again, her expression blank. "Oh Izzie." Justine hugged her again, sighing with relief as Isabelle finally hugged her back. "I'm going to get dressed and catch the ferry into downtown. Stay here, get some sleep and don't answer the door for ANYONE!" She walked with Isabelle down the hall, towards her younger sister's bedroom, gasping as she heard the front door open. "Oh, you've GOT to be kidding me!" She and Isabelle turned and watched as Miriam climbed the stairs and strolled into the upstairs hallway. "What on earth are you doing here? You just called from Tokyo at midnight. How did you get back here so quickly?"

"I flew." Miriam smirked as she walked over to Isabelle, hugging her tightly. "More nightmares?" Isabelle nodded mutely as Miriam winked at her. "Well, I'll have you know that the jerkwad that killed Mom? He's not going to be bothering anyone ever again."

Justine frowned at Miriam. "What do you mean you flew? There aren't any planes that could get here in five hou-" she groaned. "Oh no. You" she flapped her arms "flew."

"Duh." Miriam snorted. "What are you doing up, anyway? I figured you and Iz wouldn't be up for another hour to get her ready for school. I was planning on surprising you with pancakes." She rubbed noses with Isabelle. "Izzie loves her pancakes, don't you?" Isabelle nodded sleepily.

"I got a call from my partner. I have to go into town."

"What does Detective Assface want?"

"Besides my fist connecting with his tiny balls? Apparently there's been a homicide and they need us to check it out." Justine glanced down at Isabelle. "I told her she could stay home today and catch up on her sleep."

"Good idea." Miriam grinned down at her younger sister. "We'll sleep in, we'll make pancakes and then we'll watch some more kung-fu movies so I can pick up a few moves before I go to SoDo and open up The Hideaway for the night."

"Lovely." Justine rolled her eyes. "If you take Iz back to bed, I'll finish getting dressed to go into town to deal with Assface." She smirked. "I should probably stop calling him that here before I end up calling him that to his face."

"I say go for it. What's he gonna do?"

"Not much since he doesn't know that I know he calls me Cuntwad behind my back." Justine growled.

"Ugh! Dick!" Miriam took Isabelle's hand. "Let's go and see if we can think of some good dreams for you to have." She escorted Isabelle into her bedroom, smiling as usual at the way the sisters had decorated it for her. It was a teenaged girl's dream, with frilly white bedding and a white lace canopy bed. Miriam climbed into bed with Isabelle, resting the teenager's head on her shoulder as they curled up together, Isabelle clutching her doll. "Just get some sleep, okay? Sweet dreams all around, I'll have them too, now."

"I miss Matt." Isabelle whispered.

Miriam stroked Isabelle's hair, smiling sadly. "I miss him too. I miss him a lot, actually." As Isabelle lifted her head, smiling at her. "Not like THAT. I miss the way he made you smile, that's all."

Isabelle shook her head, giggling as she lay back down. "You came straight home?"

Miriam sighed as Isabelle gave her a knowing look. "No. I didn't come straight home."

"Get any bad people?"

"One or two." Miriam kissed her forehead. "Go on, go to sleep."

* * *

University District: Seattle, Washington

Justine yawned as she drove off of the ferry into town, making her way towards the address that Tom had called her back with. She arrived at the scene of the crime, a small set of low-income apartment buildings and got out of her car. Ducking the yellow crime scene taped to the front door of the apartment, she walked into the small house and immediately spotted her partner, Tom McHenry as he leaned against a wall, wearing sunglasses and looking bored. Justine sighed, instantly irritated by the sight of her partner as she walked over to him. "You do realize that first of all, we're indoors and second of all, it's raining outside so those sunglasses only serve to make you look like an asshole."

"The body's in there." Tom ignored her remark as he nodded towards the kitchen. "Fucked up, man! I remember a case similar to this in L.A."

"Maybe you're the killer." Justine smirked.

"No." Tom pulled off his glasses and rolled his eyes at her. "Are you always this much of a bitch first thing on the morning?"

"I am when I'm awakened by a flaming asshole." She turned and walked away from him, walking into the kitchen. She frowned as she stared at the dead body on the floor. "What the fuck happened to his head?" She turned to Tom, her brow furrowing. "Where did his brain go?"

* * *

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport: Seattle, Washington

Matt Parkman walked through the airline terminal and stopped at the car rental counter to pick up the car he'd made arrangements for earlier. Taking the keys, he found the car and drove to the offices of Stiller and Stowe. He made his way towards the office of his new lawyer, Benjamin Stowe and greeted the man, smiling at him as he shook his hand. "It's good to finally meet you after talking with you over the phone."

Ben nodded as he directed Matt to a seat across from his desk. "Jeff Nichols is a good friend of mine, when he told me that he was referring you to me, I was quite pleased." He leaned forward, smirking. "He's a good lawyer, but he had a hell of a time passing the bar in California. He would have shit himself if he'd had to take it again to practice in Washington."

Matt smiled and shrugged. "So, what's going to happen today?"

"What's going to happen is that YOU are going to get to have visitation with your son, I can feel it!" Ben shuffled papers around before setting them down. "We meet with your ex-wife, her lawyer and the arbitrator at noon to get this settled for once and for all." He flipped through the papers, frowning. "Now, it says here that you're currently only asking for one weekend visitation a month and every other holiday and birthday until the child is five years old?"

"Until Matthew gets older, yeah." Matt nodded. "I've talked with my boss in the NYPD and I've been saving money and making some financial arrangements and I think I can afford to come here one weekend a month. I don't want him to be separated from his mother too much while he's so young."

Ben nodded solemnly. "You realize that she took a drubbing in the California courts for lying on your son's birth certificate? She and her current husband weren't married at the time that the child was born, so putting his name on the birth certificate when she knew that the child was actually yours was considered a criminal act. If you had pressed it, she could have found herself being much more heavily prosecuted for that, instead of just paying a hefty fine." He leaned forward conspiratorially. "You COULD discuss it with the arbitrator today and find yourself possibly even getting full custody if you pushed it. I'm sure your wife and new husband could afford to fly back and forth to visit Matthew more than you could."

Matt shook his head. "Look, I still care about Jan and I'm not in this to hurt her. I don't want to hurt my son either by taking him away from the only two people he's gotten to know in the four months since he's been born. I just want a chance to get to know him and to let him get to know me too. Is this going to strap me financially? Yeah, but I'm willing to do it to get to know him and to keep Jan from being taken from him. I hurt her a lot last year and I don't want to hurt her any more and cause bad blood by bringing up her mistakes or taking our son from her, I just want what's fair. Hell, I even agreed to drop the case in California and start over here with an arbitrator so that her husband could take the job he was offered. I simply want to know my boy."

Ben sighed. "You're being a better man than I would be in your shoes."

"And as far as paying you goes, I know I'm going to be strapped, but I'm going to find a way to-"

"-Don't worry." Ben winked. "It's been taken care of."

"Excuse me?" Matt frowned.

Ben nodded. "We have a mutual friend who has already paid me for my services. Do you know Bob Bishop?"

Matt felt his blood run cold. "Yeah, I know Bob."

"He's paid for everything." Ben smiled. "In fact, I spoke with him on the phone not five minutes ago and he wanted me to pass a message on to you. He's offering you a part-time position in his company."

"Doing what?" Matt asked, trying to keep his voice even.

"He wants you to call him about the details when you return to New York. Apparently one of the perks will be to have your air travel and hotel fare paid for whenever you come here to visit with your son." Ben winked at him. "Sounds like you've got a fan."

Matt nodded slowly, his mind racing. "Sounds like."

"Well," Ben checked his watch as he stood "it's almost noon. Ready to go and get your rights to see your son?"

* * *

University District: Seattle, Washington

Sylar stood hidden among the crowd that gathered around the apartments, rubber-neckers that wanted to find out about the crime that had been committed. Occasionally, when it was feasible, he liked returning to the scenes of his crimes, watching as the police attempted to discover who had caused such a travesty. In the last six months since getting his hands on The List, he'd traveled across the country, taking odd jobs where he could to earn money to continue on his way, collecting powers whenever he could. Unfortunately, his arsenal of new powers had barely had a chance to be expanded. He'd spent the first couple of months in Boston, and later New Orleans, searching for the Pratt twins, disappointed to hear that both of them had disappeared after their mother's funeral, without even returning to their respective apartments to collect their things. He remembered sleeping in Miriam's apartment in Boston one evening, walking through the small loft near a cluster of bars as he studied her clothes and looked through her books and magazines, trying to get a feel of the woman who had lived there and tried to figure out what had made her drop from the face of the earth with her sisters. He'd done the same with Justine's apartment in New Orleans, spending the night there while looking through her photo albums and studying the degrees on the wall before taking a few guns from her closet the next morning as he left. The Pratt sisters had become an obsession with him. He didn't know what their powers were, but he knew that he wanted them desperately.

After leaving New Orleans, Sylar realized that he had another problem when it came to chasing down the names on his List and taking their powers for himself. He'd lost confidence. He continued to feel haunted by the images of his mother he'd seen in Bangor in March. It had taken a few months to even psyche himself up enough to commit another murder and collect another power, always terrified that his mother would appear again as he was plotting another death. He'd finally gotten over that fear by the time he'd reached Seattle and found the young man whose name was on the list: Calvin Rose, a local musician and college student who had highly enhanced night vision. Sylar couldn't wait until the sun went down that evening, to test his new power before he moved on to the next city and the next name on his list.

His eyes widened as he watched the two detectives exit the apartment, immediately recognizing the strawberry blonde. Smiling to himself, he watched as she talked with her partner, noting her obvious disdain for him as he listened to them talk.

"Look, just take care of the paperwork, okay Conner? I've gotta go, already. Jan's gonna have my ass if I'm not in that arbitrator's office to help hammer out that custody deal with her ex." The partner sneered at her.

"Hey, you're not the only one with a life, numbnuts." Justine snarled. "I have to-"

"-Not my problem." Tom glared at her. "Why don't you take that pretty little ass back to the station, fill out the paperwork and earn your fucking paycheck. God knows you're probably going to need it to pay that mortgage on that McMansion you and your sisters are shacking up in over in Bainbridge."

Justine snorted. "Oh, is someone feeling a little inadequate because he and his wife couldn't afford a house over there?"

"Bitch." Tom muttered as he walked away from her.

"Shithead." Justine shook her head as she walked over to her car.

From the crowd, Sylar licked his lips, his mouth watering as he watched Justine drive away. "Gotcha." He whispered.

* * *

Hartsdale, New York

Mohinder sat in Bob's office, staring at a report as Bob sat at his desk. "This is extraordinary." Mohinder whispered. "And this man, or at least what's left of him, is a very dangerous individual."

"I know." Bob shifted in his seat nervously. "And he's heading this way." As Mohinder looked up at him, his eyes widening with shock, Bob nodded. "Roger has a vendetta against me, personally."

"A lot of people seem to have those, apparently." Mohinder mused.

"It wasn't my FAULT." Bob whined. "I warned him and warned him about experimenting on himself. It's not my fault what happened. I did what I had to do to keep the public safe." He looked up as Noah walked into the office, his eyes narrowing as he spotted Mohinder. "Noah, I wanted to bring you up to speed on this as well. Mohinder, hand him that file."

Noah took the file from Mohinder, glaring angrily at him for a moment before opening it and reading it. When he was finished, he set it down. "Are you serious? This-" he gestured to the file "-thing exists?"

"And he's escaped. He was last spotted last month in the wilds of Calgary. It appears that he's trying to avoid the public as much as he can," Bob grimaced "until his lesser nature takes over and he becomes hungry. He's on his way here. He's after me."

"Couldn't have happened to a better man." Noah smirked.

"I want you to put together a team to find Roger and neutralize him. I want him alive, if possible." Noah began to chuckle, taking off his glasses as he wiped his eyes. "What's so funny?" Bob frowned.

"In order to catch this man, thing, whatever it is, you're going to have to either get an army, or a small team of pretty powerful individuals to subdue him. Just WHO do you think I'll be able to recruit for this job? Hell, Bob, you've pissed off most of the people I would choose for a mission like this and sent others underground."

Bob's eyes narrowed. "When you say 'sent underground' who are you referring to?"

Noah sighed and shrugged, covering the plan that was forming in his mind. _Right in the palm of my hand.__ You're eating out of it big time, jackass. _"For starters? Off the top of my head? I'd have to say Justine Pratt."

Bob sat up straight in his chair. "ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

"Now, now, Bob," Noah tried not to grin "think about it. She and her sister have built up quite an arsenal of powers over the years, right?" Bob looked away, his jaw clenching. "She has a history in law enforcement and a master's degree in criminal psychology. She's also quite a bit more stable, emotionally than Miriam is and let's be honest here Bob, MIRIAM is the one you REALLY want to lock up, not Justine and certainly not Isabelle, right? Miriam is the one you have the vendetta against, even though it was unfounded, it happened fourteen years ago and she didn't cause any permanent damage to you. This vendetta you have against them is just because she hurt your pride."

"What did she do?" Mohinder asked, interested.

"Well-" Noah began to speak as Bob slammed his hand on the desk.

"-That's CLASSIFIED!" Bob breathed hard as Noah sat back, folding his arms against his chest.

"I'm sure if we sweetened the pot for Justine, promised her that she could return to her former life and raise Isabelle if she helped us catch this 'Roger' creature, she'd be willing to help. She probably wouldn't be too pleased at your request to lock Miriam away, but hey, you could offer to let HER return to her life as well in return. No sense in continuing with holding a grudge for something that happened years ago when there's a man-beast currently snarling at the gates for your blood, right?" Noah grinned. "Hell, I bet even Miriam would join up with us long enough for that if you promised to leave her and her sisters alone afterwards."

Bob pouted at his desk, his lower lip pushed out. "They've gone into hiding." He whispered. "We've been searching for them for six months. They're nowhere to be found."

Noah snorted. "ELLE has been searching for them and let's be honest here, Bob. She couldn't find her ass with both hands and a flashlight. If she does find them, it would be by accident. Get more people involved in the search for them." He turned to Mohinder. "Or get Molly to find them."

Mohinder glared at Noah. "Molly is staying OUT of this!"

"Really? You brought her here once before."

"Because she was in danger." Mohinder retorted.

"And she's not now? Once that thing rips Bob to shreds" Bob shifted in his seat uncomfortably "do you think it'll just fade into the woodwork somewhere? We're ALL in danger if that thing makes it to the city."

Mohinder sighed. "I'll talk to her about it and see if she'll locate them for us."

"Good." Noah turned to Bob as he continued to pout in his seat. "Once we find the Pratts, we'll bring Justine in first. She's a bit more reasonable than Miriam. We'll get Justine on our side, then we'll bring in Miriam and Isabelle and convince Miriam to work with us as well, with Justine helping us to convince her, of course."

"I probably shouldn't sit in on those negotiations." Bob muttered.

"Probably not." Noah smiled. "Well? Let's get on it!" He stood and walked out of the office, mentally patting himself on the back. _All going according to plan._ He thought to himself.


	8. Chapter 8: Reunion

Chapter Eight: Reunion

October 2, 2007

Seattle Justice Center: Seattle, Washington

Matt, Tom and Janice stepped out of the arbitrator's office with Ben and Janice's attorney. Glaring angrily, Janice turned to Matt, shaking her head. "I don't know how you did that, how you GOT all of that, but-"

"-Jan, just drop it." Tom sighed as he turned to Matt. He held out his hand towards him, smiling ruefully. "The better man won, right?"

Matt glanced sadly over at Janice for a moment before turning to Tom and shaking the hand that was offered. "I just wanted what was fair. I just wanted to see my son."

"And now you will." Janice looked away, still angry. "Two weekend visitations a month here in Seattle, every other holiday, every other BIRTHDAY-"

"-He has a right to see his kid, Jan. I kept telling you and telling you that when you first wanted me to adopt him." Tom sighed as he turned back to Matt. "Congratulations, again. He's a great kid." Matt's brow furrowed as he read Tom's mind. _Great kid, right.__ Wakes up crying all the time, I never get time alone with Janice, I wish you could have gotten full custody of the little brat and let me and Janice have our OWN kids. He's just as whiny as his father._

Matt nodded slowly, fighting the urge to punch Tom in the jaw. "Thanks, Tom. Of course he's great, he's Jan's son too, isn't he?"

Tom shrugged as he checked his watch. "Anyone else hungry?"

"I've lost my appetite." Janice muttered as their attorneys walked away.

"Now, now, Honey." Tom threw an arm around Janice's shoulders. "Matt won in there, fair and square. We need to start making nice now, right? No sense in the three of us constantly fighting with each other, it'll just make things worse for little Matthew. Besides, you must have wanted Matt to be involved on some level, you named the child after him."

"I know." Janice stared at the floor. _And I still can't figure out WHY I did that. One minute I'm in the hospital wanting to name him Thomas Jr., then Matt visits, I throw him out, and I decide to name the baby after him. I don't know why I did that._

Matt looked away guiltily for a moment before shaking his head. "We don't have to have lunch together. I know Jan's pissed and-"

"-Nonsense!" Tom clapped Matt on the back. "We're all family and we're having lunch together. We HAVE to start getting along, for Matthew's sake." He took Janice's arm and started to lead her and Matt out of the building. _Besides, the LAST thing I want to do is go back upstairs to my office and face that bitch partner of mine any more than I have to today. God how I HATE that bitch Justine!_

Matt's eyes widened for a split second. Covering a grin, he nodded to Tom. "You're right. We SHOULD have lunch together and start getting along, for Matthew."

* * *

University District: Seattle Washington 

Sylar strolled into an internet café and ordered a cup of coffee before finding a free computer. Sitting down at it, he began to research the names Justine, Miriam and Isabelle Conner. He smiled as he found an article about a bar that had recently been opened in the SoDo district of Seattle. "The Hideaway." He whispered. "Owned and operated by one Miriam Conner." He sat back, placing his hands behind his head as he read the address, committing it to memory. "Study the twins, find out their powers, find out who's the more powerful of them. I'll kill the stronger of the two off first, then the other." He nodded to himself with satisfaction. "The teenager will be easy enough to kill, once her two sisters are gone." Sighing, he leaned forward and grabbed his coffee, sipping it as he read the article over and over again. "It's been a while since I had a good, stiff drink."

* * *

Sky City Restaurant, Space Needle: Seattle, Washington 

"Great view, isn't it?" Matt tore his eyes away from the window as Tom beamed at him, nodding. "Man! I love this restaurant. You feel like the king of the world up here. The food's great too." Tom elbowed Janice as she sat silently beside him, her hands folded in her lap. "Right, Baby?"

"Yeah, it's great." She nodded, not lifting her eyes.

"The view is really great." Matt glanced out of the window again before turning back to Tom, thinking of a way to ask him about the 'Justine' he'd thought about. "Seattle seems like a great city."

"Oh, it's wonderful." Tom's head bobbed up and down as he nodded profusely. "The crime's not too terrible, the neighborhoods are nice. Hell even the weather's pretty moderate, even if it's raining and drizzling most of the time. It's the perfect place to raise a kid, you know?"

"And it sounds like you're doing well for yourself here, Mr. Homicide Detective." Matt teased.

"I can't complain." Tom shrugged. "Well, yeah I can. It would be perfect if it weren't for my partner."

Janice turned to Tom, shaking her head. "Justine's a nice woman."

"She's a flaming bitch, so's her sister." Tom sneered.

"Sister?" Matt sipped his drink, pretending not to be too interested.

"Yeah, she's got this bitchy twin sister that owns a bar over in the SoDo district. It's called The Hideaway." Tom rolled his eyes. "It's a dive. It's built into some converted warehouse with wannabe grunge singers screaming in there on the stage every night while idiots keep thrashing around on the floor. The cops are always talking about getting reports of fights and shit going on over there, but once they arrive, everyone's calm and cool. Those sisters are dirty, I'm telling 'ya! They live with their teenaged sister in this big fucking house over on snooty-ass Bainbridge Island, it's right on the water, too. Do you have any idea how much money you have to have to even buy a SHACK over there, much less a big-ass McMansion on the water? No way is Justine and, what's that other bitch's name-?"

"-Miriam-" Janice whispered.

"-Yeah, thanks Babe. No way can those two afford a place like that on a bar owner and cop's salaries, even if Justine's a detective." Tom gritted his teeth for a moment. "She CLAIMS that she and her sisters inherited a bunch of cash after their parents were killed in some accident, but I doubt it. She's dirty, I just have to prove it. I bet that kid isn't even their sister."

"Of course she is." Janice rolled her eyes. Matt covered a smirk as she read her mind. _God, you're misogynistic asshole. Why didn't I see this before I married you? _

"She has dark hair and eyes, her sisters are blue-eyed red-heads." Tom snorted.

"First of all, she looks just like her sisters, they have the same facial features. Second of all, did you ever pay attention in biology? The twins are probably just walking recessive genes." Janice turned to Matt. "They're all very nice, I've met them a few times."

Matt cocked his head to the side. "You have?"

"Yes, I have. We had a housewarming party when we first moved here and I invited them. I wanted to meet Tom's partner, see what she was like. They were very lovely."

"That little one is messed up in the head." Tom grumbled.

"Isabelle's autistic, but she's very sweet, too." Janice finally smiled. "She made a bit of a fuss over Matthew when she saw him. She spent the rest of the party standing over his crib watching him sleep."

"Really?" Matt whispered. He smiled softly. "She sounds like a good kid."

"She is. Justine said that they've got her in a private school over on the island. Apparently it's very good, they cater to students like her with special needs."

"They're bitches, all of them, and that kid was creepy, the way she kept watching over Matthew." Tom muttered as their food was served. Matt glanced at Tom as he began to eat. _And OF COURSE you'd like __them,__ you're a chilly bitch too. Why I ever thought it was a good idea to hook up with you, much less marry you is beyond me. At least I've got something on the side to keep me happy when you start in._ Matt stared down at his plate and tried to eat, fuming as he continued to read Tom's mind. _Yeah, I might even pay her a little visit when I get back to work. The Chief's secretary is definitely fine as hell and knows how to work it in the file room behind Chief's office. She can most definitely work it better than you ever could, even when you were married to Jackass here and thought you were being so dirty and sneaky, running around behind his back, loving every minute of it._

* * *

Bainbridge Island, Washington 

"How are those pancakes, Iz?" Miriam grinned as Isabelle finished her brunch and pushed her plate aside, nodding happily. Miriam reached over and ruffled Isabelle's hair. "Glad you liked them. So, any more bad dreams?"

"Nope." Isabelle whispered.

"Good." Miriam turned and stared out of the windows of the breakfast alcove of the house, watching how the water on the Puget Sound sparkled. "I think the rain's let up for now, if you want to get out of your p.j.'s and go for a walk." Isabelle smiled and nodded again. "Well? Go on! Scoot!" Miriam laughed as Isabelle dashed upstairs to change clothes. She stood and took the dishes from the table, glancing out at the Sound again before turning to walk into the kitchen. Miriam rinsed off the dishes and placed them in the dishwasher before turning and leaning against the counter to survey the large kitchen.

After escaping from The Company's clutches, the sisters had spent a few weeks driving from hotel to hotel, from town to town, not staying in the same place for long while they researched different cities to see where they wanted to live. They'd finally settled on Seattle after a month, deciding that it was similar enough to Maine, with its green forests, to keep from disturbing Isabelle's equilibrium any more than it already had been. The Puget Sound reminded all of them of the lakes in Maine, only on a larger scale. They'd found a house in Bainbridge Island, large enough for the three of them to live together comfortably without encroaching on one another's space when they needed time alone, situated on the Sound. Justine found a job with the Seattle Homicide Division almost immediately, while Miriam searched for a place to open a bar. She'd finally found an abandoned warehouse in the SoDo District and had immediately gone to work, getting the interior remodeled while obtaining the permits that were needed. The Hideaway had opened two months earlier and so far, had become a hotspot in the city for rowdy partygoers. Business was booming and the twins were doing well in the new city as they tried to create new lives for themselves.

Isabelle was another story. She suffered nightly from nightmares that she awoke from, screaming and crying, bringing her sisters to her to console her. She had retreated into her own little world at first and though she was slowly returning to normal, starting to smile and laugh on occasion again, she was still distant enough to worry her sisters. She was enrolled in a private school on the island, a school that catered to her needs, where she was doing well, but not as well as she had done in her previous school in Maine. The first time her sisters saw her genuinely smile after they had been forced to run, was on the night of Justine's partner's housewarming party a few weeks earlier. Justine had been loathe to go to it, she had despised her partner on sight, but she wanted to keep the peace with someone that she worked closely with. Miriam and Isabelle had come along to provide her with an alibi if she needed to leave quickly and to provide support for her. From the moment Isabelle had spotted Detective McHenry's infant son, she immediately became fascinated with the infant, watching him and cooing over him the rest of the night, to McHenry's chagrin and his wife's amusement. When Matthew had finally dozed off and was put to bed in his crib, McHenry's wife allowed Isabelle to stand over the crib until it was time to leave, to watch over the child as he'd slept.

Miriam smiled softly as she remembered that night and how Isabelle's face lit up the moment she saw the baby, and remembered when it was time to leave the party, how reluctant Isabelle had been to leave the nursery. She had spent the better part of the night in that room, peering into the crib almost reverently, her tiny, dimpled hands clasped behind her back.

"I'm ready." Miriam shook herself out of her reverie as Isabelle walked into the room, dressed in jeans and a yellow zip-front hooded sweater. She tucked her rag doll under her arm as she walked towards the back door, Miriam following her.

They walked out of the back door onto the massive wooden deck that stretched across the entire back of the house and walked down a wooden walkway towards the beach and a personal dock behind their home. Miriam glanced out at the dock, spotting her bow rider bobbing in the water beside it. She turned and took Isabelle's hand and began to stroll the beach with her, breathing in the fresh, damp air. "I think we need a couple of dogs, what about you?" Isabelle nodded silently, staring intently out at the water. "Yeah, me too. We need something tiny, cute and fluffy for you," she gave her sister a quick hug "and then something that's really big, imposing and protective, but an overgrown pussycat at the same time. Any suggestions?" Isabelle shrugged and shook her head. "Hmm, maybe a cockapoo for you, or some sort of other –apoo, and maybe a big, drooling mastiff, yeah?" Isabelle looked up at her, faintly smiling as Miriam sighed sadly.

* * *

Space Needle: Seattle, Washington 

"So, when do we start with the visitations?" Janice asked warily as they paid their checks and got up to leave the restaurant.

Matt sighed. "I know you're not ready for me to have him today, right?" As Janice stared at him, he shook his head. "Let's start in a couple of weeks. I'll fly back here a week from Friday and take him for the weekend then, give you a chance to get him prepared, and yourself as well." He smiled kindly at her as she sighed nervously. "I'm not going to take him away, Jan. I want him to know his parents, both of us."

Janice gave him a faltering smile. "Okay. A week from Friday."

She turned to leave with Tom. Matt watched them for a moment, glaring angrily at Tom's back before he narrowed his eyes, pushing out at them both with his mind. _Tom, you want to sleep with your mistress, the Chief's secretary today. You want her as soon as you return to work, you just can't help yourself. Jan, you're going to remember that you had something you needed to talk to Tom about. __Maybe you need to remind him to pick up diapers or formula on his way home.__ You're going to make a quick run to his office, rather than call him. You'll find him in the file room, behind the Chief's office._ As Tom and Janice both stopped in their tracks for a moment, their eyes glazing over, Matt felt a pang of guilt as they started walking away again. Hanging his head down, he followed them out of the restaurant and building.

As he split away from Janice and Tom out of the building, Matt walked to his rental car and climbed inside. He closed his eyes for a moment, his mind reeling with all of the information he'd received at lunch. Miriam, Justine, Isabelle, the three of them were here, in Seattle, living and thriving on an island community in the Puget Sound. He ached to see his sister, to know how she was coping. He also began to feel another ache as well, a need to see Miriam. He opened his eyes, shaking his head. "I can't. I can't see them, I can't be around them. I can't let them know that I know they're here. If they ended up in danger-" he sighed. "-I'm going to drive to my hotel. I'm going to go to my room, get some sleep and return to New York first thing in the morning." He nodded to himself. "I'm going to leave them alone, in peace." He cranked up his car and drove onto the streets, heading for his hotel.

Elle sighed as she pulled her car out to follow him, shaking her head. "Boring as hell, aren't you? Lawyer's office, court and then lunch with the ex, followed by what, a trip to the hotel to beach yourself on the bed and stare at the four walls? What was I thinking when I thought YOU would lead me to the Doublebitch Twins?"

* * *

Mohinder's Lab, Brooklyn, New York 

Mohinder looked up, smiling as Maya strolled through the door, holding Molly's hand. "How was school?" He asked as he knelt down, hugging her tightly.

"Great!" She grinned. "Did Matt call yet? How did it go in Seattle?"

"He called just a few minutes ago." Mohinder winked at her. "He's going to be leaving us two weekends a month to go to Seattle to visit with his son AND he's going to be able to bring Matthew here for every other holiday AND every other birthday."

Molly squealed with excitement. "That's-" She squealed again "-I'm so happy for him! Is he going to get Matthew for Christmas or Thanksgiving this year?"

"Probably one or the other." Mohinder laughed at her exuberance. "You really are quite happy for him, aren't you?"

"Of course I am! He's been so nervous about the custody fight, I just KNEW he'd win!" Molly laughed happily. "Oh! I can't wait to get home. I'm going to divide off part of my room and we can turn it into a nursery for Matthew and-"

"-we will do ALL of that as soon as Matt returns tomorrow afternoon." Mohinder nodded, laughing with Molly. "But for right now, I need a favor."

"Sure! What?" Molly walked over to a table and sat down with Maya, her legs swinging over the edge of the chair.

"I need you to tell me where the people in this picture are." Mohinder pulled out a photograph of the Pratt sisters that had been taken from their home in Maine. He handed it to Molly, nodding. "Can you do that?"

Molly stared at the picture then looked up at Mohinder, her eyes wide. "This is Matt's sister and HER sisters."

"Detective Parkman has a sister?" Maya looked at the photograph of the three of them, sitting in the garden behind their mother's home. "Which one is she?"

"The dark haired one." Mohinder whispered. He turned to Molly. "We need to find them. There's-"

"-NO!" Molly shook her head as Mohinder gaped at her. "I can't. I promised Matt that I would never, ever, EVER try to find them. Bad people are looking for them, Mohinder, people that want to hurt them."

"They're not bad people, Molly. I work for the people that are looking for them and I can assure you that they're not in danger."

Molly frowned and shook her head again. "I'm sorry Mohinder, but I swore to Matt, I promised him and promised him that I would never try to find them." Mohinder sighed as Molly's chin trembled. "Please don't be mad, but I just can't do it."

"I'm not mad." Mohinder took the photograph of the sisters and kissed the top of Molly's head. "I understand why you promised Matt. We'll try and find another way to locate them. I have to tell you though, no one is going to hurt them, I promise you that."

"I still can't find them." Molly stared sadly at the table as Maya kissed her cheek.

"It's okay, querida." She stroked the child's hair as she stared up at Mohinder. "I can see how she would be Detective Parkman's sister, she's got his coloring. She's as pretty as he is handsome."

"I'm sure he'd agree, at least with the pretty part. I doubt he'd agree with the handsome." Mohinder smiled.

"That is because he is a humble man." Maya sighed. "And a very good one, too."

* * *

Seattle Justice Center: Seattle, Washington 

"DAMN IT!" Justine threw a newspaper down, disgusted with the article she'd just read. "Damn it, Miriam." She whispered.

"What are you reading?" Stanley Patton, the chief of the homicide division walked past Justine's office, frowning at her stormy expression. He walked into the office and glance at the paper lying face-down on her desk. "'Midnight Marauder Strikes Again'." He chuckled as he read the article. "Yeah, that vigilante is making our beat cops look like nincompoops, isn't he?"

Justine shrugged. "Yes, HE is."

Stanley shrugged. "It's just some idiot wannabe do-gooder, running around in black at night, thinking they're Batman or something crazy like that. He'll end up biting off more than he can chew soon enough and get himself into real trouble foiling another purse-snatching or robbery. He's going to come across a jackass with a gun eventually and that will be that." Justine nodded, narrowing her eyes. "Still, the papers around here are crowing about this person being a real hero and doing more about crime than we're doing nowadays. He really is making us look bad."

"I know." Justine sank in her seat. _I'm going to kick her ass when we get home. She swore that she'd cut this shit out. It's bad enough that she used to do this in Boston when she got bored, but-_

"-have to do with it?"

Justine glanced up, frowning. "What?"

Stanley raised an eyebrow at her. "I said, what's your sister got to do with this?" As Justine's eyes widened for a moment, Stanley nodded. "You were cursing Miriam when I passed by your door."

Justine laughed softly. "Oh, it's nothing really. She and I had this bet going. I bet that this guy would get caught the next time he tried to pretend he was a cop and stop a crime, she bet that he'd keep on going." She sighed loudly. "I guess I'LL be doing the laundry for a month now!" She rolled her eyes as Stanley chuckled and shook his head.

"At least you took our side." He frowned. "The Mayor is all on our cases about finding out who this jackass is though. New Orleans is having a similar problem with someone that the ninth ward is dubbing 'St. Joan'."

Justine laughed softly. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah. If the NOPD ends up finally catching HER, the mayor's already requested that the police officer there that cracks THAT case come here to solve our vigilante problem."

Justine felt her heart drop into her stomach as she nodded. "That would be a good idea, when the NOPD catches her."

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Justine and Stanley both stared at each other for a moment before they stepped out of Justine's office. Tom McHenry stumbled out of the file room, buckling his pants as his wife followed angrily behind him. Justine covered a grin as she noticed Lily Robbins, Stanley's secretary try to slip out of the room unnoticed, buttoning her shirt. She turned and watched as Janice started smacking Tom with her purse. "OF ALL THE HATEFUL, ROTTEN, DISGUSTING-"

"Hey!" Justine turned and glared at Miriam as she walked into the bullpen with Isabelle. She stopped for a moment, staring with amusement as Janice continued to whale on Tom before walking over to Justine. "What did HE do?" She turned to smirk at her sister, then frowned as she noticed Justine's glare. "What?"

"My office. NOW!" Justine herded her sisters into her office and slammed the door. She threw the newspaper at Miriam. "Section A, page two, top of the page."

Miriam unfolded the paper and read the article, smiling to herself as she finished it. "I can't believe they think I'm a dude. I'm five foot, seven. Do they think Tom Cruise is taking time from his couch jumping activities to go extra crazy and pretend he's Spiderman?"

"This isn't fucking funny." Justine collapsed in her chair. "You swore you'd cut this out."

"I swore I'd try to be more careful, I never said I'd stop." Miriam shrugged. "You fight crime your way, I'm fighting it mine. I have these powers for a reason-"

"-yeah, because you can't stop chasing down other people with powers and touching them-"

"-because I can make a difference." As Justine snorted, Miriam nodded. "I made a difference to that lady who almost got raped this morning, didn't I? If I hadn't been there, she would have been GANG-RAPED, Juss. I beat the assholes down, tied them up, and called the cops on her cell phone before I ran. It's cool."

"It's NOT cool." Justine shook her head. "New Orleans has someone doing the same thing."

"Really?" Miriam smirked. "Maybe I should move down there and see if he or she is interested in forming a Justice League."

"Shut up. This is not a joke, Mir." Justine ran her fingers through her hair. "Dammit, why are you doing this?" She pointed a finger at her twin sister. "And don't give me that 'I can make a difference' shit. The mayor wants someone from New Orleans to come up here after they catch their vigilante to give us pointers. If that happens, we're screwed. The cops there know me, Juss. I worked there for four years, I knew every cop that walked the beat. If one of them recognizes me, we're done. If someone catches YOU when you're out playing hero, we're done. Cut. This. Shit. Out."

"Fine." Miriam looked away for a moment. The room was silent as the three sisters sat together, the only sound was of Janice yelling at Tom outside. "So what did Assface do?"

"Fucked around and got caught." Justine quipped.

"Good. I hope she rips his goolies off. Asshole."

Justine laughed softly. "If she does, it wouldn't have happened to a better or more deserving man."

Miriam tried not to smile. "I brought Iz to see if she could hang here with you and let you take her home. I've got inventory and ordering to do at The Hideaway before we open and I know you don't like it when I take her there."

"Fine." Justine sounded tired as she nodded. Miriam started to stand. Justine cleared her throat. "I know that while we were growing up, people always thought you were the 'bad one' of us. I know you want to prove, if not to everyone else, then just to yourself, that you can be good too. You ARE a good person, Mir. You don't have to go out every night, fighting criminals and potentially getting yourself into trouble to prove that. You know this, right?"

Miriam looked away. "I know." She whispered.

"If you get caught, we might have to run again. I don't want to do that, do you? We've got Iz settled into a good school, we've got a good home and a good life. I don't want that messed up, do you?"

"I guess not." Miriam nodded slowly. "I'll cut it out."

"Thanks." Justine walked around her desk and hugged her twin. She walked her out of the office, both of them stopping to watch as Janice ripped off her wedding ring and threw it at Tom's feet.

"DON'T! COME! HOME!" She yelled before walking away.

Miriam and Justine tried not to grin as Tom tried to smooth his mussed hair and clothes. He bent down and picked up the wedding ring, pocketing it before standing, glaring at the twins.

"What the fuck are you looking at?" He growled.

"A short-dick mother fucker that just got PWNED in front of EVERYONE!" Miriam turned and high-fived her sister before turning and walking out of the bullpen. "PWNED!" She yelled as she closed the door behind her.

She climbed into the green Armada she'd bought in Maine, spotting the beige one her twin sister had bought once they'd settled in Seattle. Stroking the leather-wrapped steering wheel, she sighed. "You're great, but I miss my Ducati." She cranked up the engine and drove away from the police station.

* * *

Ramada Inn: SeaTac, Washington 

As evening approached, Matt lay on his bed in his hotel room, staring blankly at the television screen that flickered across from his bed. He'd just hung up after speaking with an exuberant Molly, thrilled that she was finally going to get a chance to meet little Matthew. The high from speaking with his foster daughter was quickly wearing off, as Matt began to think about his sister, living with her sisters in the same city he'd just left earlier that afternoon. He closed his eyes, trying to will himself to stop thinking about Isabelle and the way she'd almost immediately reached for his hand as soon as he'd met her, as if she'd known instinctively that he was her older brother and tried to forget the way she'd clung to him, sobbing as if her heart would break the last time he'd seen her after her mother's funeral.

He tossed and turned on the bed for a moment, remembering the night he'd spent with Miriam, the way it had felt to make love to her and finally doze off with her curled up beside him, his arms around her. He tried to forget the kiss he'd given her at the car, right before she and her sisters had made their escape from Bob.

Matt tried to forget how easily he and Justine had gotten along. He remembered how kind she'd been at the funeral home to him, during one of the hardest moments of her life, absolving him of the guilt he'd felt for her mother's death before revealing to him that Isabelle was his half-sister.

He sat up, shaking his head. "I can't go to them, I can't let them know I'm here." He stood up and started pacing the floor of the hotel room, trying to convince himself that what he wanted to do wasn't safe for three people he cared so deeply for. He grabbed a newspaper and tried to read it, his eyes immediately falling on an ad for The Hideaway, located in the SoDo District, advertising great live music and fun. "Fuck it, I'm thirsty." He grabbed his coat and headed for the door. "I already know where they are, anyway. That's already dangerous for them. What's one quick visit to make sure they're okay, just to give me peace of mind, right?"

* * *

The Hideaway Bar, SoDo District: Seattle, Washington 

"What do you mean 'Calvin's dead'?" Miriam gasped as she helped her bartender, Lauren Keys mix drinks for a few college students that stood around, waiting at the bar.

"I know, right?" Lauren nodded, her blond dreadlocks swaying around her head. "It's so fucked up! When Jed called and told me, I was totally wigged!" She handed the drinks to the students, pulling them back for a moment. "Wait! Got I.D.?" She collected the driver's licenses that were handed to her, flipping quickly through them. "Good, good, good, oh please." She held up one license, shaking her head at one obviously under-aged boy who cowered beside his friends. "You've gotta be kidding me with this. It's as fake as Britney Spears' tits, Honey."

"I'm twenty-one, I swear!" The kid piped up, his voice squeaking.

"Give him a break!" One of his friends yelled as he swigged his drink. "He's my brother."

Lauren turned to the brother, raising a pierced eyebrow. "Then take your underaged KID brother and get out before the boss lady here throws you out on your asses."

The guy snorted as he looked at Miriam. "What's SHE gonna do to me?" His eyes widened as Miriam turned and picked up a bottle of cheap vodka that was stored under the bar, shattering it with one squeeze of her hand. "Fuck that." He turned to his brother. "Come on, Max." The duo quickly left as Miriam glanced at his freaked-out friends.

"Anyone else feel like testing me tonight?" She asked.

"No ma'am!" They answered in unison, quickly grabbing their drinks and running to a table.

Lauren leaned back on her elbows against the bar, laughing as Miriam turned to wash the vodka off of her hands. "Damn I love it when you scare the kiddies with that shit."

At the sink, Miriam surreptitiously picked glass out of a deep gash in her hand, watching as it healed. "I do what I have to right?"

"Whatever keeps 'em in line!" Lauren studied her boss as she washed her hands, noticing the tight black leather jeans and cropped black tank top that showed off her midriff, mentally making a checklist for her next shopping spree. "You should get some tattoos, your clothes could show them off really well."

Miriam turned, drying off her hands. "I tried once, I'm allergic to the ink."

"God! That sucks!" Lauren shook her head as she studied the artwork etched on her arms and bared belly. "I don't know how I'd deal if I couldn't express myself through my tats."

Miriam laughed as she studied Lauren. She was tall and blond, her hair hanging in heavy dreadlocks down her back, her lips, nose, and eyebrows pierced. Most of her exposed flesh from the neck down was covered in different tattoos and Miriam suspected that the skin that was currently covered in blue jeans and a tank top with 'FUCK OFF!' written across the front, was equally inked. "I don't think you would ever have a problem expression yourself, Lauren." Miriam stared out at the thin crowd as a deejay played loud rock music over the speakers. "I hate Tuesdays, they're always so slow."

"It'll pick up tomorrow, it always does on Wednesdays, hump day and all that." Lauren's hips swayed to the beat of the music.

"Have you got it covered down here?" Miriam asked.

"Between me behind the bar, Alice, Evie and Josh covering the floors and Tiny covering the door? Yeah, we got it Boss." Lauren shimmied as she poured herself a beer.

_Oh a storm is threatening  
__My very life today.  
__If I don't get some shelter  
__Oh yeah, I'm gonna fade away._

"Okay, I'll be up in the office if you need me." Miriam jumped over the bar and walked across the floor towards the stairs that led to the second level of the bar and her office in the back of the building.

_War, children,  
it's just a shot away  
__It's just a shot away  
__War, children,  
it's just a shot away  
__It's just a shot away_

Elle pulled up across the street from The Hideaway, frowning as she watched Matt park and walk towards the building. "Oh, is someone feeling like exploring his wild side?" She said mockingly.

Matt approached the door, his eyes widening as he stared up at the heavily muscled, bald black man that glowered down at him. "Yeah?" He asked.

"I'd like to go in a buy a drink?" Matt gulped.

"Ten bucks." The man took the bills that Matt handed him and stepped aside from the door, staring at his suit and tie. _Dude better be glad it's a slow night or else he'd be standing outside with the __underaged__ kiddies. Who the fuck wears a tie to a bar like this?_

Matt tried not to laugh at the man's thoughts as he walked past him into the bar, his eyes widening as he surveyed everything. The bar was expansive, with heavy lacquered oak floors spanning across the room towards a stage at the opposite end. Two thick oak bars gleamed from the sides, one closed for the night. Tables were scattered around the floor, with room for dancing near the stage. The second story of the bar consisted of a balcony that wrapped around the entire bar with tables scattered around near the wall away from the rails. Matt smiled to himself as he approached the bar, beaming at the bartender as she smirked at him. "Are you LOST?" She asked, trying not to laugh.

"It's the tie, I know." Matt nodded. "I'm looking for an old friend. Is Miriam around?"

The bartender raised an eyebrow, her piercings sparkling under the colored lights of the bar. "You know Miriam? YOU?"

"Yeah, like I said, I'm an old friend. I knew her before she moved here." He glanced at the floor sadly. "Before her parents died." He smiled up at the bartender, shrugging as she nodded. "I was here in town and I thought I'd look her up."

"Cool." She picked up a phone and dialed a number. "Hey Boss Lady, a suit is downstairs here at the bar wanting to talk to you." She turned and studied Matt. "Tall, over six feet, dark hair, brown eyes, dimples, kind of cute in a dorky sort of way." Matt blushed and looked away. "And he blushes really easily, apparently." She nodded at him. "What's your name?"

Matt sighed. "Matt Parkman."

The bartender turned back to the phone. "Matt something. Yeah, okay." She hung up the phone and winked. "Boss Lady's on the way. I'm Lauren, her right hand girl here at the bar. So you knew Mir back in the day, huh?" Matt smiled at her. "So what was she like?"

"Wild, crazy, warm, she had a good heart."

"Basically how she still is now then. She acts all tough and shit, but she's a total marshmallow underneath." Lauren glanced over his shoulder. "Hey Boss!"

His heart pounding, Matt turned and locked eyes with Miriam. "Hi." He whispered.

"Hi."

"How have you been?" He asked, suddenly realizing that his mouth had gone dry.

"Good. You?"

"Good."

Lauren watched at the two stared at each other intensely, a smile playing on her lips. "Um, Havoc and the Headhunters called, they wanted to know if you wanted them to come in and play since obviously the Red Roses won't be playing tonight."

Miriam tore her gaze from Matt, blinking for a moment before responding. "The Headhunters? That's the group with the guy that thinks he's the second coming of Axl Rose, isn't he?" Lauren nodded as Miriam rolled her eyes. "Fuck no! They trashed the stage the last time they were here and the lead singer puked all over the floors. Call up the other members of Cal's band and see if they'd be interested in just playing instrumentally with a spotlight on an empty mike or something, a tribute to Cal. If they're not ready, just let the deejay keep spinning, it's a slow night." She turned to Matt. "Let's go to my office."

"Coolness." Lauren nodded as she watched Miriam and Matt walk towards the stairs. "HEY WAIT!" Miriam turned back to her. "If anyone else comes looking for you-?"

"-Don't interrupt me unless this place is on fire or someone's dead." Miriam spun around and continued to lead Matt up the stairs. They passed empty tables on the second floor, making their way to a hallway in the back of the building before finally entering her office.

Matt looked around, nodding with appreciation at the black leather couch and office furniture. "Looks good, you're really doing well-" he gasped as Miriam slapped him. "-what the hell?"

Miriam advanced on him, her eyes blazing. "My thoughts exactly! What in the HELL are you doing here? How did you find me? Does anyone else know that we're here? DO THEY?"

Matt shook his head. "I found out about you through Tom McHenry. He's the ass that was screwing my wife, remember?" Miriam nodded, closing her eyes for a moment as she shook her head. "Well, now he's married to my wife and they moved here. I came to town to work out some custody issues with my son and he started bitching about Justine at lunch. I put two and two together and got him to blab about all of you, so I decided to come here and make sure all of you were okay. No one else knows you're here, Mir." Matt rubbed his cheek. "DAMN! That hurt!"

Miriam stared at the floor. "I'm sorry." She stepped forward and gently rubbed his cheek, smiling as the redness suddenly faded away. "Shit, I'm really, really, really sorry about that. I freaked."

"Understandable, I guess. Next time just ask questions first, don't start swinging." Matt frowned as he realized that his cheek no longer throbbed. "Did you just-?" He laughed softly. "-I really could have used you after I got shot in Kirby Plaza." He lifted his hand, covering the small hand that caressed his cheek. "I could have used you for many things since then, I've needed you for-" he moaned and stepped forward, kissing Miriam passionately. "-God I've missed you." Miriam kissed him back for a moment, then stepped away from him, breaking the kiss as he placed his hands on her shoulders, smiling down at her. "How's my sister?"

Miriam half-smiled as she stepped past him to sit on the couch. "She's okay." As he sat beside her, she sighed. "Actually, she's not okay, Matt. She hasn't been okay since Mom died and we had to run. She has nightmares about finding Mom, she has nightmares about Bob and his people coming after us and she misses you. She really misses you like crazy. She's been distant, even for her, she almost never smiles or laughs with us anymore-" she sank back on the couch "-in fact, the first time she even came close to acting like her old self was when we went to Tom and Janice's for their housewarming and she met Matthew. Now I understand WHY." She turned and smiled at him. "That's your son."

"Yeah, Matthew's my son." Matt nodded.

"He's an angel. I should have known. I KNEW that name Tom McHenry sounded familiar, I just KNEW it." She laughed. "You mentioned him that night-" she glanced at him for a moment, and shrugged "-you mentioned him."

"So Izzie saw Matthew and got attached to him, huh?" Matt smiled as Miriam nodded. "She's uncanny. I'm sorry that she's not doing so well." He winked. "But I have news."

"What?"

"First of all, I took your advice. I fought for my son."

"AND?" Miriam's eyes widened as she looked at him hopefully.

"And I have visitation. Janice didn't make it easy on me, but I fought like hell and I will now be coming here twice a month to visit him on the weekends and I can have him for every other holiday in New York."

Miriam reached out and hugged him. "Oh, that's wonderful. I'm so happy for you! That is going to be one lucky little boy, getting to know you."

"And the other news is this: Bob wants me to start working part-time with The Company." Miriam let him go, staring at him warily. "I think if I work on him, I can maybe convince him to drop this obsession he has with locking the three of you up."

"Matt-" Miriam began to shake her head, quieted as he held up a hand.

"-Just hear me out, okay?" Matt smiled at her. "I have the same power my father has. I can convince people to do what I want them to do. I don't like to use it that much, it's kind of scary, but I'd gladly use it on Bob if it meant having you girls safe and not having to hide anymore. I want to do this. I need Iz in my life as much as you say she needs me. Let me do it."

Miriam closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them, tears brimming. "Please be careful. Don't do something that could cause you to lose Matthew and Molly, or cause you to get locked away yourself."

"I won't." Matt kissed her on the cheek, then leaned back against the couch cushions. "Nice office. I like the décor."

"Thanks. I did it myself." She stared down at her black attire. "Obviously." She laughed. She turned to Matt, smiling softly. "I missed you too." She lowered her eyes. "You're sure that no one followed you or knows that we're here?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Why would anyone follow me here to watch me fight for my son?"

"True." Miriam stood and took his hand. "Come on."

"Where?"

"I think Izzie needs to see her big brother." She led him out of the office and down to the bar below, stopping to talk to Lauren. "Hey, you can handle this tonight alone? Last call at two, lock up by three?"

Lauren noticed the way Matt and Miriam looked at each other and giggled. "Sure, not a problem. Slow night, remember?"

"Yeah." Miriam walked with Matt out of the bar. "I'm driving a green Armada, you?"

"POS rental car." Matt laughed.

"Follow me to the marina, park there and get in my car. We'll take the ferry to the island. Izzie's going to freak when she sees you. Hell, even Justine, as much of a pain in the ass as she's been lately will be glad to see you." She gave him a quick peck on the lips before turning and walking to her car. Matt watched her for a moment then returned to his car, starting it and following the green SUV when it pulled onto the street.

Elle sighed as she saw Matt walking back to his car. "That was quick, probably figured out that you're a little old and a lot lame to be in a place like that, huh?" She pulled out, making sure not to follow too closely as he drove to the marina and parked his car. She watched from the street as he got out and walked over to a green SUV, her eyes widening as Miriam stepped out of it and talked with him for a moment before they climbed into the SUV and drove away. "Spank me! I did it!" Elle squealed as she followed the Armada to the ferry and drove on board a few car lengths behind them. Keeping her eye on the green SUV parked ahead of her, Elle picked up her phone and dialed it. "Daddy? How much do you love your little girl? Guess who I just found!" She giggled as she hung up the phone. "If this doesn't get me on his good side forever and ever, NOTHING will!" She sat back in her car, her hands behind her head as she smiled at the ceiling of her car. "Who kicks all kinds of ass? ELLE kicks all kinds of ass!"

* * *

The Hideaway, SoDo District: Seattle, Washington 

Sylar strolled into the bar and ordered a drink, smirking at the hungry way the overly-pierced bartender watched him. He looked around at the small crowd that had gathered in front of the stage, watching as a band performed acoustically, a spotlight shining on an empty microphone. "What's up with that?" He asked the bartender.

Lauren shrugged, her eyes never leaving the dark, handsome stranger as he leaned gracefully on his elbows against the bar. "Tribute to their lead singer. He was murdered this morning."

Sylar barely registered surprise as he turned back to Lauren, hearing the way her heart quickened as he smiled at her. "That's tragic. Tell me something."

Lauren leaned forward, her cleavage spilling out of the top of her tank top. "Anything."

"I really like the vibe here. Where's the owner of this bar? I'd like to tell him how cool this place is."

"Well, first of all, the owner is a woman. Second of all, you just missed her about thirty minutes ago. She left for the night." Lauren nodded slowly.

"Oh, that's too bad." Sylar pouted for a moment as Lauren licked her lips, watching him. "But she'll be back tomorrow?"

"She'd have been here tonight if an old friend hadn't shown up. I think she needed to scratch an itch, if you know what I mean. But yeah, she'll be back tomorrow night. She pretty much lives here at night."

"Good." Sylar finished his drink, smirking again at the way the bartender watched him. "I'll be back tomorrow."

"I'll definitely see you then." Lauren sighed as he turned and left the bar. "God, I could definitely wrap my legs around that and ride all night."

* * *

Primatech Facility: Hartsdale, New York 

Bob hung up the phone and called Noah into his office. "Guess who Elle, the girl you said couldn't find her ass with both hands and a flashlight has come across?" As Noah shrugged, Bob smiled. "MIRIAM PRATT! She's in Seattle and her sisters are almost definitely with her as well."

"Very good." Noah smiled.

"I've already told Elle to hang back and make sure that the sisters are together, then observe their comings and goings for the next day or two to get an idea about their day-to-day activities so we can catch them. A team is already on the way as well to capture Justine once we can get her alone. From there? It's up to you to get her and later her sisters, to cooperate."

"Tell you what then, I'll go home, get some rest and get ready to start negotiating once Justine gets here." Noah turned and walked out of the Bob's office, then the building. He drove towards his small apartment in the city as he dialed a number on a disposable cell phone. "Meet me on the roof." Arriving at his apartment building, he walked past the small loft he was staying in and made his way to the roof of the building where Peter and Nathan Petrelli waited for him. Beaming at the brothers, he nodded. "The sisters have been found. They're in Seattle. Elle is going to attempt to bring them in."

Peter nodded. "Good deal, this is coming together just the way you planned it."

Nathan frowned. "You think this is actually going to work?"

Noah nodded, smiling. "I know it will. The twins and Isabelle are the key to bringing down The Company, once we can neutralize Roger. All we have to do is bring Justine in first and get her to cooperate. She's much more rational and reasonable than Miriam is, it'll be easier to get her to see our side of it than it would be her sister. Once we get Justine on our side, she'll get Miriam and Isabelle to come in and we can bring Bob and this company down from the inside. For good."

Nathan smirked. "Yeah, IF you can get Justine."

* * *

song cited in this chapter: "Gimme Shelter" by the Rolling Stones 


	9. Chapter 9: Stalked

fifteenChapter Nine: Stalked

October 2, 2007

Bainbridge Island, Washington

Elle watched as the green SUV pulled into the garage of the large, stately, waterfront house. She whistled softly under her breath as she studied the outside of the home. "Damn, you girls fell into a honey pot, didn't you?" She smirked. "When Angela Petrelli said she gave you money, she wasn't kidding." She answered her cell phone as soon as it rang. "Hi Daddy!" She smiled. "Yeah, they're just pulled up in a huge, ass house on Bainbridge Island." She sighed. "Daddy, I'm NOT letting them know I'm following them, I'm-" She groaned. "-I already told you that I don't need a team-" She closed her eyes, nodding in resignation. "Okay. I'll back off until the team gets here." She hung up the phone, glaring at the house. "Shit." She muttered as she pulled away.

Matt's eyes widened as he walked into the kitchen from the garage, noticing the view of the Puget Sound from floor to ceiling windows that took up an entire wall of the kitchen. "Nice house." He quipped.

Miriam shrugged, not meeting his eyes. "Apparently when Angela said that Mom and Uncle Daniel had put aside money for us, she wasn't joking. We figured it was a few thousand. It was quite a bit more than that. I have a feeling most of it was Uncle Daniel's doing, money-wise. Mom worked as a biologist for a local non-profit environmental group and she made enough money to raise three girls on her own, but I don't think she made quite enough to put THAT kind of money away for us. Justine and I tried to help after we acquired Bob's power, but she said it would look too shady to have two teenaged girls constantly going from pawn shop to pawn shop, selling solid gold jewelry." She laughed. "She had a point."

"Yeah, I would have been a bit suspicious." Matt leaned against the counter, watching the way Miriam fidgeted as she talked. "Miriam-"

"-You want a beer? I want a beer." She stepped towards the refrigerator, skirting past him nervously. "Juss and Iz should be home soon. They just had to catch the next ferry. I told them that I had a surprise for Iz and-" Her hands shook as she pulled two beer bottles out of the refrigerator and tried to open them, gasping as Matt reached out to steady her hands.

"We need to talk." He whispered, his lips near her ear. Stroking her back, he continued to talk, his voice low and soothing as she trembled beside him. "I know we left things pretty up in the air six months ago, we sort of had to, and I know I just came on really strong in your office-"

"-you didn't come on too strong." Miriam closed her eyes, leaning against him. "If you hadn't kissed me, I'd have kissed you." She turned to him, opening her eyes, their faces inches apart. "It got weird, didn't it?"

Matt laughed softly. "Yeah, we let things get weird." He shook his head slowly, staring into her eyes. "I don't mind though."

"Neither do I." Miriam sighed and stepped back, regaining her composure. "But Matt, I meant what I told you that night and I meant what I said in the letter." She handed him a beer and shook her head. "I meant EVERYTHING I said in that letter. I can't let myself fall in love."

"Because you're too afraid to lose me one day." Matt nodded sadly. "I know."

"And I will. You're not immortal, not that I would wish that on you or anyone else. I don't want to watch you die one day." Miriam stared at the beer in her hands, rolling the bottle back and forth between the palms as she leaned against an island in the middle of the kitchen. "If I could let myself fall in love, it would be with you, hands down. Also, there's Izzie to consider-"

Matt set his beer down with a bang on the counter "-That's it!" He took a step towards her, holding up a hand. "You can hide behind your precious feelings all day long, but don't hide behind our sister. Izzie will be in my life whether we end up together or not and if we get together and things end badly, I'm not going to let it keep me from her and I'm not going to let YOU keep me from her! If I'm not letting the bad blood between myself and Janice keep me from my son, I certainly won't let a breakup between us keep me from Iz. Now, I've been thinking about this for six months. I've been thinking about YOU for six months. There's a little saying I think you should acquaint yourself with, 'It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all', also? There's another saying 'love hurts'-"

"-Actually that's a song by Nazare-"

"-I'm still talking." Matt glared at her.

"Okay." Miriam nodded, her eyes wide.

"You say that you're scared to be with me because you don't want to watch me grow old and die on you. Guess what? I'm in your life whether we're together or not because of Isabelle, so you're GOING to see me get older, you're going to see me get sick on occasion and you might have to watch me die one day." Miriam looked away, tears in her eyes as he continued to talk. "That's LIFE! Death and dying is a part of life whether you're immortal or not. You could die on me too, you know. You're not completely invincible. All it would take is for someone to blow your head off and that would be the end. You don't think the idea of that scares ME? We can dance around this all day long and you can think of every reason in the world for us NOT to be together." He reached out, taking her beer and setting it on the counter behind her. "But all I can think about is you. I think about that night we spent together. We swore that it was just sex but you and I BOTH know that it turned into more than that. We made love, Miriam. We did it over and over again and then we fell asleep together, in each other's arms. I felt something that night that I haven't felt in a long time and I think you felt the same way. I'm not telling you that I love you, I'm not asking you to tell me that you love me. I'm asking you to stop hiding behind excuses and I'm asking you to just think about this and see if you can give us a shot. I want you and I want to be with you. I just need to know if you want to be with me, too." He stroked her cheek. "Will you at least think about it? Will you promise me that you'll think about this while I'm gone, convincing Bob to bring you girls home?" Miriam nodded and pulled him to her, kissing him. He pressed her against the counter, his hands sliding around her bare waist before moving to her back, pulling her closer to him as they kissed passionately. Miriam moaned as his lips moved to her neck, grasping his shoulders as they leaned together against the kitchen island.

"Well, this explains why my legs just started shaking." Matt and Miriam pulled apart as Justine walked into the kitchen, setting her purse and keys on the counter. She shook her head at Matt. "Are we about to have to run again?"

Isabelle followed her sister into the house, her eyes widening as she spotted Matt. "MATT!" She shrieked as she ran to him. He laughed happily and grabbed his younger sister around the waist, picking her up and spinning her around as she giggled and hugged him fiercely.

"No one knows we're here." Miriam glanced at Justine before staring at the floor, her face turning red. "It turns out that McHenry's stepson is Matt's. Janice is his ex-wife."

"Ah, the custody thing that Assface was bitching about today." Justine nodded. "Too bad you didn't stick around for the fireworks afterwards."

"OH my God!" Miriam giggled. "I forgot to tell you about that!" She turned to Matt as he held Isabelle, her eyes suddenly widening with realization. "Wait a minute, you told me that you can convince people to do stuff, did you have anything to do with Janice catching Tom inflagrante today in the office?" As Matt set Isabelle down, shamefaced, she laughed harder. "Oh, good one! Way to get back at the ex-wife!"

"I didn't do it to get back at her for anything." Matt shrugged as Isabelle continued to cling to him, her arms wrapped around his waist as she beamed happily up at him. "I overheard him thinking about his little fun on the side and realized that she shouldn't have to put up with it. I sort of nudged both of them towards the inevitable. Better Janice find out now than later. She deserves better."

Miriam snorted. "Like hell she does. I wasn't too impressed with her when I met her and realized that she was actually married to that toad, but to realize that she passed YOU over for HIM? My opinion of her just slides even further downhill."

Matt shook his head. "Jan's a good person. She's not the bad guy in our divorce, trust me. We both screwed things up beyond repair. We were having problems long before she had the affair and I didn't help matters by taking off with Ted Sprague to help bring down The Company. That was the last straw for her and I don't blame her. I do blame her for making the divorce difficult and for giving me such a hard time with this custody bit, but I still care about her and I think she can do better than Tom. Now, she'll have that chance."

Miriam smiled at her. "You are such a Boy Scout, it's adorable."

"You're staying tonight?" Isabelle asked, smiling as she looked from Matt to Miriam and back again.

"I've got a room at the Ramada near the airport. I just thought I'd pop in for a visit and then go back there for the night."

"No way." Miriam shook her head.

"Mir, he's risking ALL of us by even being here." Justine grumbled.

"He's already here, might as well go all the way with the risk." Miriam turned to him. "Which room? Give me your key."

"202." Matt frowned as he handed her a hotel room swipe card. "Why?"

"I'm going to get your things." She turned to Justine. "This is MY house too, you know."

Justine pressed her lips together tightly for a moment. "You're SURE you weren't followed by The Company?"

"To a custody fight?" Matt snorted. "Why would they bother?"

"Because you're Izzie's brother. You'd be the best lead to finding us. I'D have followed you."

"I don't think The Company has anyone as smart as you are." Miriam smirked. "Or at least as smart as you THINK you are." She turned to Matt. "You're staying. Izzie hasn't seen you in months and she's missed you."

"Izzie's not the only one." Justine muttered.

Miriam ignored her sister as she winked at Matt. "I'll be back soon."

Justine turned to Miriam, raising an eyebrow. "How will you get there?" As Miriam laughed and walked away, flapping her arms, she sighed. "At least do it invisibly!"

"This isn't my first time doing it, DUMBASS!" Miriam shouted as she walked out of the house.

"Dammit." Justine sighed as she turned to Matt. "To hell with YOU getting us busted, she'll end up doing it first."

"I think the three of you are going to be fine." Matt stroked Isabelle's hair as he beamed at Justine.

"That's what YOU think." Justine shook her head as she handed a newspaper to Matt. "Perhaps you should bone up on Miriam's extracurricular activities and THEN tell us that we're safe here." As she passed him, she glanced at the way he continued to blush. "I would say that I was going to get the guest room set up for you, but I have a feeling you won't be sleeping there." As Matt glanced at her, blushing harder, Justine shrugged. "Guess I need to take a sleeping pill or two if I'm going to sleep through the night without too many interruptions. Oh well, it's not like I've had to worry about it for six months."

Matt smiled softly. "She hasn't-"

"-Not since you, which is a record." Justine spotted Miriam's untouched beer on the counter and grabbed it, taking a swig. "Girl hasn't gone without for a WEEK since discovering sex. I don't know how she's lasted THIS long without exploding." She raised an eyebrow at Matt. "You know, you turn any redder, your face is going to burst into flames."

"Thank you for reminding me." Matt turned to Isabelle. "We have to have a checkers rematch, right now!" He laughed softly as Isabelle turned and ran from the room. "She seems like she's doing better than Miriam let on."

"She's excited to see you." Justine finally smiled. "She hasn't been this animated in a long time."

"Well, it's good that SOMEONE in this house is happy to see me." Matt quipped.

Justine shrugged. "Hey, I didn't say that I wasn't happy to see you, I'm just worried that we're going to get found out and have to run again." She sighed and gave Matt a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. "It IS good to see you, even if we do have to haul ass afterwards."

"There is no need to run. I doubt I even register on Bob's radar." Matt grinned as Isabelle walked back into the room with a checkers set and grabbed his hand, leading him towards the living room.

* * *

Everett, Washington

Sylar ground his teeth as he drove through the small neighborhood, searching for the address he'd seen in The List as he fumed about missing Miriam Pratt at her bar. "If I can't acquire HER power tonight, I can at least work on other names that are nearby." He smiled to himself as he spotted the correct address. He pulled past the house and drove a block away, parking in a supermarket lot. He stepped out of his car and walked back towards the house, hiding in the cover of darkness, his night vision seeing everything as if it were daytime. He prowled around the house, peering in windows until he'd spotted his prey. He smiled to himself as he spotted Cynthia Madsen sitting on the couch in her living room, watching television as she ate dinner. He had noticed that she appeared to live alone, not that it had mattered, after all, he'd encountered three people in the Walker home. His eyes narrowed, remembering how he'd been unable to take Molly Walker not once, but twice. Shaking his head, he watched the woman again as she finished her small meal and carried her dishes towards the kitchen.

He slipped through the bushes quickly making his way towards the back of the house. Melting the doorknob of the back door, he walked in as Cynthia turned to see him. Before she could even scream, it was over. He shoved her against the wall with a flick of his hand, sending a knife into her throat to silence her.

Sylar smiled as he walked over to her, his mouth watering. "Let's see what you've got to offer me." He purred as he lifted his finger, slicing her head open.

* * *

Bainbridge Island, Washington

Matt looked towards the kitchen as he heard the back door open, then turned back to the coffee table, frowning as he realized that Isabelle had trapped all of his men again. "How do you DO that?" He sighed as he moved a checkers piece and nodded as she quickly jumped all of them in succession.

Justine sat in a chair, watching them with an amused expression on her face. "I have no idea how she does it, but she kicks our asses all of the time."

"Tell me about it," Matt looked up to see Miriam standing in the doorway, smiling as she lifted his suitcase. "I got everything and then went downstairs to check you out."

"How'd you do that?" Matt asked.

Miriam giggled as she morphed into Matt. "I simply went down and said that I was staying with friends instead." She morphed back into herself as Matt stared at her, wide-eyed. "Cool trick, huh?"

"Yeah, don't do that again. I'm not a good look for you." Matt grinned.

"Really? I thought I looked damn good." Miriam glanced down at the suitcase. "I'll take this up."

"I'll take it." Matt grinned as Isabelle started to giggle. "But I'll be right back down." He took the suitcase from Miriam and followed her upstairs. "So am I going to be staying in a posh guest room? You know, I turned down a very nice hotel room for this. I expect a chocolate on my pillow, turn-down service-" he followed Miriam down the hall and watched as she opened a door, leaning against the door jamb as she flipped a light switch. "-is this YOUR room?" Matt gasped as he pretended to look shocked. "Why Miss Pratt, what makes you think I'm that sort of guy?"

Miriam shrugged as she reached for the light switch. "Well, if you'd rather have the guest room-" she grinned as he grabbed her hand, stopping her from turning the lights off. "-is that a 'no' on the guest room?"

"It's a 'hell no' on the guest room." Matt stepped forward and began to kiss her as she led him into her room. As they stumbled towards the bed, they groaned as Justine yelled at them from downstairs.

"I'M WIDE AWAKE AND I'M IN A ROOM WITH **OUR SISTER**! WHATEVER YOU'RE DOING, CUT IT OUT!"

"I'd grind up a bottle of Ambien in her food, but I'm scared it would put me out of commission too." Miriam smirked. She stepped away from Matt and shook her head. "You can set the suitcase on the chair. I'll see you downstairs." She turned to leave as Matt walked towards the black leather chair she'd pointed out.

Matt studied the décor of the room, grinning as he noticed the black and white comforter on the bed, accented by red pillows. "Let me guess, YOU decorated?"

"What was your first clue?"

"The black leather." Matt followed her out of the room. "You have a thing for it, don't you?"

"I like how it looks on me." Miriam shrugged as she trotted down the stairs with Matt following her.

"Obviously." Matt reached out and took her hand as they returned to the living room. "Okay. Who's hungry?"

Justine looked up from her cell phone. "I'm already on it. SOMEONE made me start smelling pizza." She winked at Isabelle.

"Excellent." Matt sat on the couch with Miriam beside him. He raised an eyebrow at Isabelle, pointing to the checkerboard. "Rematch?"

* * *

Ramada Inn: Sea-Tac Washington

Elle lay stretched out on her bed, flipping channels with a bored expression until she finally turned off the television, tossing the remote aside. She sighed and grabbed her cell phone, smiling softly as she dialed it.

In Brooklyn, Mohinder answered his phone. "Hello?"

"What'cha wearing?" Elle purred.

Mohinder glanced over at Molly as she sat at a table doing her homework. "Elle, this isn't a good time." He whispered into the phone.

"Aw! C'mon! I'm stuck in a hotel room on a stupid mission and I wanna talk dirty!" Elle rolled over onto her stomach, sighing. "Can I tell you what I'M wearing?"

Mohinder sighed. "I suppose."

"Nothing. Nothing at all." She giggled. "What do you think of that?"

Mohinder frowned. "I think I should hang up the phone now, Elle. I have Molly and this isn't the right time to be talking like this." He shook his head as Molly raised her head, looking confused.

"You're no fun!" Elle hung up her phone with a snap and rolled over onto her back again. "God Seattle sucks!" She groaned as her cell phone began to ring, recognizing her father's ringtone. "Uck! What now, Daddy?" She sat up and flipped her phone open. "Yes Daddy?"

Bob pursed his lips as he paced the floor of his office. "Are you prepared to take down the Pratt sisters once the teams arrive?"

Elle frowned. "I thought you said that I had a few days to observe them first."

"I'm bumping the schedule up. I have it on good authority that Parkman has a flight leaving tomorrow morning at ten. I want you to intercept him and take him out of play, then grab Justine by the next morning."

Elle grinned. "When you say 'take him out of play' you mean-"

"-I mean knock him unconscious, make sure he's dosed so when he wakes up he can't manipulate anyone into letting him go and hand him over to one of the teams that's on the way. You are NOT to permanently harm him." Bob sighed. "Obviously the Pratts are quite fond of him. If something were to happen to him, they might not be quite as receptive to our requests, understood?"

"I can't hurt him even a little?" Elle whined.

"NOTHING PERMANENT! How many times do I have to tell you-"

"-FINE!" Elle sighed. "So he's leaving at ten. I think I know how to grab him." She smirked. "He left his rental car at the marina. I'll grab him there."

"Just make sure that no one sees you." Bob hung up the phone in his office and turned back to a report on his desk. "Roger's getting closer. I needed Justine here yesterday." He sighed and shook his head. "Dammit Rog."

* * *

Bainbridge Island, Washington

Justine followed her sisters and Matt upstairs, gulping down two pills on the way. "I hope that helps me sleep through the night." She smirked at her twin. "Try NOT to make up for the whole six months in evening."

"Just take your damn pills and shut it." Miriam said wearily. "But try not to knock me out in the process, deal?" She and Matt walked into her bedroom and smiled at each other. "Izzie's getting into her pajamas. Odds are, she's going to want to give you a good-night hug first. She does that with me and Juss. Plus, it's my night to brush her hair. Justine and I have had this ritual with her since she was a baby. We always took turns brushing her hair at night. She loves it and we love doing it."

"So I can't do this, until she's gone?" Matt leaned over and kissed Miriam on the cheek.

"It might not be a good idea, until she's in bed and going to sleep." Miriam shook her head.

"What about this?" Matt began to nuzzle her neck.

Miriam closed her eyes, biting her lip to keep from moaning. "That wouldn't be too appropriate until Iz goes to bed either." As Matt continued to nibble her neck, sliding his hands around her waist, Miriam turned in his arms and began to kiss him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She gasped as she heard a knock on the door and stepped away from him. "That would be Isabelle." She took a deep breath as Matt ran his fingers through his hair and tried to straighten his clothes, and walked to the door, letting the teenager inside. "Ready for bed?" Isabelle nodded as she walked in, dressed in pajamas and a robe. Miriam stared at Isabelle's hands. "Where's your brush?"

"I did it tonight. You can start back day after tomorrow." Isabelle grinned as she ran to Matt, hugging him tightly and kissing his cheek before turning to Miriam and doing the same quickly. "Sleep tight." She called as she ran out of the door.

Miriam shook her head. "Did she just-?"

"-She totally blew you off!" Matt laughed and shook his head as Miriam turned to him, her expression sad. "Oh, don't be upset." He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her softly. "I think she wanted us to have some time together alone."

Miriam smirked. "She's been hinting around that she wants us together ever since Maine." She shrugged. "Actually, she hasn't been hinting, she's been pretty obvious about her wishes."

Matt began to nuzzle Miriam's neck as he reached for the buttons on her pants. "Well, who are WE to deny her wishes?"

* * *

Seattle, Washington

Sylar prowled the streets, smiling as his night vision made the darkness seem as bright as daylight. Standing on the roof of a building, he opened his mouth and released his new power, he winced painfully as dogs in the neighborhood began to yelp and whine, their delicate hearing assaulted by the ultrasonic scream he'd just emitted. "Well, I don't know what I'll be using this for." He shook his head. "But I'm sure it'll come in handy eventually." He stretched and climbed off of the roof, heading for his stolen car. "But tonight, I've got to get some rest." He reached into the glove box of the car and pulled out a sheet torn from a phone book. He touched the name, address and phone number printed on the page. "M. and J. Conner. 202 Puget Cove Way, Bainbridge Island." Pulling out a map, he studied how to get to the house, grinning. "Time to start observing the Pratt girls, find out what I can to take them all down." He purred to himself as he started his car and drove towards the last ferry to Bainbridge Island for the evening.

* * *

October 3, 2007

Bainbridge Island, Washington

They lay in bed together, staring at the ceiling as they caught their breath. "That was-" Matt whispered.

"-Oh yeah." Miriam turned to him and began to kiss him, her mouth teasing his. "I'm glad you came to my bar tonight."

"You had a twisted way of showing it at first." Matt stroked her back, his fingertips gliding lightly up and down her spine. "I swear you almost slapped my face off."

"I've already apologized, repeatedly." Miriam giggled as she straddled him. "Want me to apologize again?" She grabbed his hands, entwining his fingers with hers. "Hmmmm?"

Matt closed his eyes, nodding. "Over and over again." He tugged at her arms, pulling her down to him and kissing her as she began to move on top of him. They moved together, moaning softly as Miriam began to quicken her pace, finally crying out as she trembled on top of him. With a quick move, Matt rolled over, and continued, his cries of pleasure quickly joining hers before he collapsed on top of her. "I think I accept your apology." He whispered.

"I'm not going to stop apologizing all night, whether you accept it or not." Miriam said softly. She ran her fingers through his hair as he buried his face in her neck, gulping for air. "I can't believe I went six months without this."

"Me neither." Matt shrugged. "But I've gone longer."

"Not me." Miriam shook her head.

"Justine told me." He lifted his head, raising an eyebrow at her. "She said something about you never having gone a week before you met me?"

Miriam rolled her eyes. "Sisters. They really do suck sometimes with their big fat mouths." She looked away for a moment, then turned back to Matt. "What do you want to know?"

"Nothing." He shook his head. "Whatever you did before me, that was BEFORE me. It's in the past."

"Even if I was a big, huge slut?" Miriam nodded. "Justine was right. Once I found out about sex, I didn't go a week without. I was promiscuous and I didn't care. I rarely had sex with the same guy twice, I had this philosophy: 'get some, get gone'. I was a definite fuck and run girl."

"You planning on running from me?"

"No." Miriam laughed softly. "I don't think you'd let me if I tried, but no. This? What we're doing tonight, what we did six months ago? This is so much better than random sex with a random guy that I'll never see again."

Matt started to speak. He lifted his head, his eyes wide as piercing screams cut through the dark. "Izzie?"

"Izzie." Miriam scrambled from under Matt, grabbing a robe and throwing it on before running out of the bedroom. Matt followed behind her after pulling on his boxer shorts and a tee shirt. Miriam threw open Isabelle's bedroom door and turned on a bedside light as Isabelle screamed pitifully in bed, clutching her doll to her. "Izzie? It's Mir." She sat on the side of Isabelle's bed and pulled her into her arms, her expression anguished as Isabelle clung to her and began to cry. "What was it tonight?"

Matt ran into the room, followed by a bleary-eyed Justine. "Is she okay?" He asked.

Miriam nodded as she rocked Isabelle in her arms, rubbing her sister's back reassuringly. "What did you dream about, Honey?"

"Bad man! Coming! Coming for us!" Isabelle took a deep breath as Matt sat beside her and Miriam, Justine joining him. "Wants to hurt us!"

"No one's going to hurt us, got it?" Miriam let go of Isabelle for a moment, taking her sister's face in her hands as she wiped away tears with her thumb. "If a bad man, or bad men come, we'll destroy them. You know that."

"He was at the funeral. I made him go away, but he's back." Isabelle turned to Matt and began to cry on his shoulder. "He's a very bad man!"

"Okay. It's okay. The bad man won't bother you tonight." Matt stared at Miriam sadly over Isabelle's shoulder as Justine stroked her hair. "We're all here and we're not going to let him come near you, okay?" Isabelle nodded wordlessly against Matt's shoulder as he started to rock her slowly.

Justine kissed Isabelle on the cheek. "You gonna be okay without me?" Isabelle nodded, her eyes closing. "Okay." She turned to Miriam. "I took a couple of sleeping pills. It's enough to knock me out, but not enough to put you under as well."

Miriam nodded. "I can tell. I'm a little groggy but-" At Matt's confused expression, she shrugged. "-twin connection."

Matt rocked Isabelle as she dozed off. "Okay, how does it work again? If Miriam feels-"

"-if she feels pain, I feel it too, only not as severe. If she feels-" Justine shrugged "-intense pleasure, I feel it too, only not as intense."

"If I get passed-out drunk, she feels pukey. It's how I got busted for sneaking out to a kegger when I was a teenager, actually." Miriam laughed softly. "Basically we feel the same strong sensation or emotion that the other is feeling, only muted. If I experience excruciating pain-"

"-or a screaming orgasm-" Justine smirked as Matt blushed "-then I only have slightly excruciating pain or a really nice orgasm." She blinked. "By the way, good going Tiger. I'm surprised my sister can walk."

"Thanks." Matt shook his head. "Okay, this is going to take some getting used to."

"Good luck, we've had twenty-nine years to deal with it and we're still not used to it." Justine quipped as she and Miriam exchanged a pointed look.

"So if someone drugged Miriam enough to knock her out-"

"-I'd be groggy as hell, but still fairly functional and vice versa." Justine nodded. "You got it." She laughed softly. "Sometimes, when Miriam would start drinking too much and I was beginning to feel the effects on my job, I'd give her a little warning to stop."

"Warning how?" Matt frowned.

"I'd slam my hand in a door or beat it with a hammer. Sure, I'd break every bone in my hand and want to curl up on the floor and cry, but Miriam would feel it too and get the message." Justine sighed. "I think she's out." She nodded at Isabelle.

Matt smiled softly. "I know. I'm not ready to let her go yet." He stroked her hair. "You guys have had fifteen years with her. I've only had less than two days and yet-"

"-you're already completely and totally attached?" Justine asked. Matt nodded. "She feels the same way." She yawned and stretched. "I'm going back to bed. Try not to wake me every thirty minutes with another screaming 'O'?"

"I can't promise that." Miriam winked at her twin as she left the room. Matt leaned forward and laid Isabelle on her bed. Miriam watched as he tucked the blankets around her, making sure her rag doll was in her arms before he bent down and kissed her forehead. "You're a natural at that."

"I've had practice with Molly. My father was terrorizing her and giving her nightmares because of her power. She was waking up two or three times a night, screaming." Matt shook his head.

"What happened to your father?"

"I trapped him in a nightmare of his own making." Matt stared down at Isabelle for a moment longer before finally turning off the light. "I have the same power that Maury has, I think Iz has it too, or at least some aspects of it. At first I thought I could just read minds, but I had to teach myself how to fight back in dreams after he trapped me in the same nightmare Molly was in. I ended up escaping with her and leaving him there. He's in a coma in the Hartsdale facility." He turned, noticing the concern on Miriam's face as they walked out of the room. "I don't think he's doing this to Iz, Mir."

"I don't think so either." Miriam leaned against him as they walked back to her room. "I think these are regular, run-of-the-mill nightmares. She's been through a lot in the past six months, which would be stressful enough on a regular fifteen year-old, but for her." She broke down and started to cry as Matt held her, leading her into her room. "I just wish I could help her."

"You ARE helping her." Matt crooned softly.

"No I'm not." She shook her head. "Running into her room and consoling her after the fact isn't helping, and most of the time, I'm not here to even do that at night. I'm busy in my club or-"

"-sneaking around in the dark fighting crime?"

Miriam sighed. "Dammit, Justine. She told you?" Matt nodded. "She gave me the tenth degree today in her office and told me to cut it out."

"I agree with her." As Miriam turned to stare at him, he stroked her cheek. "Like I said earlier, you're not one hundred percent invincible, Mir. I know you'd like to think that you are, but you aren't. All it would take for you to die would be to run across the wrong guy at the wrong moment and get your head blown off. " He kissed her forehead. "I like your head where it is, intact and on your shoulders."

"Fine." Miriam wiped away tears as she pulled off her robe and climbed into bed. "I promised Justine and I'm promising you, I'll cut it out."

"Thank you." Matt stretched out beside her, his hands roaming her body. "I just found you again, I don't want to lose you to a jackass with an itchy trigger finger."

Miriam moaned softly as Matt's fingers kneaded her skin. "I said I'd quit. What more do you want from me?"

"At the moment, or in general?" Matt whispered as they began to kiss.

Early the next morning, Miriam rolled over and glared angrily at the clock. "Is it six a.m. already?"

"What?" Matt snuggled beside her. "That can't be right."

"Your flight is going to leave in four hours." Miriam lay back against him, smiling as his arms wrapped around her.

"I can book a later flight." He murmured against her neck.

"I'm halfway tempted to take you up on that offer." Miriam stretched beside him.

"It's done." Matt stroked her hair, running the long strands through his fingers. "I'll wait until after ten, call Mohinder and tell him that I missed my plane. I'll book a red-eye to fly back late tonight."

"I'd like that." Miriam rolled over and kissed him. "But with Justine at work-"

"-We'll have to behave." Matt smiled at her. "We need to get to know each other away from the bedroom anyway."

"I agree." Miriam snuggled beside him. "In the mood for breakfast?"

"I suppose I could eat. I probably burned off everything I've eaten in the past week last night. Time to recharge." Matt kissed her again before he climbed out of bed. "We had a good night though, didn't we?"

Miriam propped herself up on one arm, watching as he grabbed his boxer shorts. "It was an amazing night." She stretched and climbed out of bed, slowly walking towards the bathroom as Matt watched her. "I'm going to take a shower. It's a big shower, by the way."

"Oh, I'm right behind you." Matt quickly tugged off the boxers he'd just put on as he followed her into the bathroom.

An hour later they sat in the breakfast nook with Isabelle, eating breakfast as they watched dawn break over the Puget Sound. Miriam turned as Justine strolled into the room, dressed for work, her eyes red from lack of sleep. "We tried to lay off a little and give you a break."

"Thanks." Justine sat at the table, grabbing a plate and heaping pancakes onto them. "Hey, I'm not bitching, you made breakfast." She turned to Matt. "So you're leaving?"

"I'm going to take a later flight." As Justine started to speak, he shook his head. "I've already decided. I want one more day with Miriam and I want one more evening with Isabelle and you before I have to leave for New York. Miriam and I have already agreed that we're not going to do anything to make your coworkers think you're acting out a memorable scene from 'When Harry Met Sally', we just want to spend some time together, alone."

Justine sighed and nodded as she began to eat. "Fine. Just be careful."

After Justine left with Isabelle, taking the girl to school before she drove into the city to work, Miriam and Matt grabbed hands and walked outside, towards the beach. "And just how much did you girls shell out for this house?"

"That's a rude question to ask." Miriam laughed. "Too much, probably, but I love it." She pointed to the small bow-rider that bobbed on the waves as it was tethered to the dock. "Most of the time I just take that in to the city. It's quicker than the ferry. I usually keep my SUV parked at the marina."

"Nice. That's a small cabin cruiser?"

"Basically. It has a top on it, but most of the time I like to take it out with the top down, unless the weather is extra nasty." Miriam turned to him as they stepped off of the deck onto the beach. "Hey, by the way, how's my bike?"

Matt laughed. "YOUR bike? You gave it to me."

"To hold for ME!"

"Did not! It's mine now, I'm not giving it back."

"Fine." Miriam sighed. "How's my FORMER bike!"

"It's good." Matt frowned. "What are the straps on the side for? Are they to keep you on it while you're riding?"

"Sort of." Miriam laughed. "They're to keep the bike on me when I fly."

"No shit." Matt shook his head. "You FLY with your bike."

"It's a cool way to travel." Miriam nodded. "Why? What have YOU been using the straps for?"

Matt glanced at her. "To keep myself on it." He sighed as Miriam laughed. "I'm sorry, but that's a LOT of bike!"

"it's a racing bike, it's the Ferrari of motorcycles! I bet you drive it like someone's grandpa!"

"I do not!" Matt shrugged. "I barely drive it at all, but I'm still not giving it back." He wrapped an arm around her waist. "I look cool on it."

"As soon as I can come to New York without worrying about being tagged and bagged, I'll teach you how to ride it right, not like grandpa out on a Sunday drive. Which brings me to this: I've been thinking-"

"-Should I be worried?"

"No." Miriam smiled at him. "We've really settled in here, we're making a fresh start after Mom's death which is a good thing, even if we did it because we had to go on the run. Justine's got a good job, I'm loving running my own bar and Izzie's finally getting settled in at her school."

"Okay." Matt's hand squeezed gently around Miriam's. "You want to stay here after I push Bob to drop the vendetta, don't you?"

"If Justine agrees, yeah." Miriam shrugged. "You're going to be here two weekends a month to see Matthew. This house would be a great place for you to keep him when you're here. Also, my bartender Lauren's really becoming my Girl Friday at the bar. I'm sure she wouldn't mind a raise and a promotion so I can maybe split my time between here and New York with you." Miriam smiled at him. "What do you think?"

Matt pulled her into his arms, hugging her. "I think that's one of the best ideas I've heard in a while. So you want to give us a chance?"

"No, I just screwed you repeatedly last night for shits and giggles." Miriam nodded. "I want to give us a chance."

* * *

Hartsdale, New York

Mohinder hung up his phone, shaking his head as he entered Bob's office. "You wanted to see me?"

Bob nodded. "Sit." As Mohinder sit across from him, Bob leaned back in his chair. "We found the Pratt sisters."

"Really? That's wonderful! Where are they?"

Bob sighed. "Seattle." As Mohinder's eyes widened, Bob nodded again. "Matt's with them. Elle followed him there on a hunch that he might lead us to the girls, given his romantic attachment to Miriam and his familial attachment to Isabelle. A team is on the way now to subdue Justine and return her here by tomorrow afternoon. Matt will be returning with her then." As Mohinder started to speak, Bob lifted his hand, silencing him. "I know Matt just called you with a bogus story about missing his flight. He's spending some 'extra' time with Miriam, apparently. A team will be taking him out of play by subduing him and temporarily relieving him of his powers this evening when he goes to catch his flight. Elle and I have already worked it out. It seems Mr. Parkman went ahead and reserved a flight for midnight, their time. He'll be held in Seattle at our staging area until Justine is also subdued and we'll bring them back together. By the way, don't bother calling Parkman to warn him. Your phone is being tapped and until we know we have Justine in our custody, you will be kept here until tomorrow. Maya has already been called by your lab assistant and asked her to keep Molly for the evening. She told Maya that you're having a breakthrough with a blood sample and can't be disturbed until tomorrow."

"You're going to blackmail Justine into working with you by using Matt." Mohinder gasped.

"If we have to. Threatening Matt Parkman with bodily harm AND the loss of custody not only of Molly but young Matthew as well is our last resort in coercing Justine Pratt to cooperate. She doesn't have the attachment to him that Miriam and Isabelle have, but I'm sure she's fond enough of him not to want to ruin the life of one sister's half-brother and her twin's lover just because she was obstinate. If she cooperates, you and Matt will be released and Molly will stay where she is. I still owe a life's debt to Matt for showing up here and neutralizing his father. I don't want his life destroyed unless I have no other choice."

Mohinder stood as two guards entered the office to escort him to a holding room. "You're a heartless bastard." He hissed. "No wonder so many people have such a deep hatred of you."

"You're entitled to your opinion." Bob sighed as Mohinder was led from the room.

* * *

St. Marcus School for Girls: Bainbridge Island, Washington

Sylar sat in his car a block from the school, watching as Isabelle paced slowly back and forth along the sidewalk, dressed in blue, a backpack strapped to her back. He climbed out of his car and slowly approached her, watching her as she paced in even steps, avoiding cracks on the sidewalk. _I can't wait to split that pretty little head of yours open and take what's inside. _He thought to himself. _Kill your sisters first, leave you vulnerable and begging for your life. I'll take your power then, whatever it is._ He smiled to himself as he observed her, and then frowned as she stood up straight, her brow furrowing as she began to look around, her eyes narrowing.

"GABRIEL!" Sylar turned and saw his mother stomping towards him, scissors sticking out of a bloody wound in her chest. "WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT WATCHING GIRLS? WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU? DIDN'T YOU LEARN YOUR LESSON ALREADY? I SHOULD HAVE KILLED YOU IN YOUR SLEEP AS A BABY, SNUFFED YOU IN YOUR CRIB! WHY SHOULDN'T I HAVE DONE THAT? YOU KILLED **ME** DIDN'T YOU? I SHOULD HAVE KILLED YOU FIRST!"

Sylar backed away, falling into the bushes as Virginia Gray advanced on him, joined by a petite girl, her fire-red hair spilling down her back as she shook her head at him, speaking in a Southern twang.

"You killed me too." She told him. "I didn't do anything to you. I didn't even know who you were, but you crept up behind me and murdered me as if I was nothing. I was a human being, Mr. Gray? Why did I deserve to die?"

"Because you had a power that I NEEDED!" Sylar sobbed as he scrambled to stand, trying to run from the apparitions in front of him. "It was my biological imperative."

"I treated you like a son." Sylar gasped as he turned to find himself face-to-face with Chandra Suresh, his head still twisted gruesomely on his body. "I tried to help you, I tried to help you see your potential, but you turned it into murder. When I tried to run from you, after everything I'd done, you killed me."

"GO AWAY!" Sylar screamed as he turned and ran towards his car. "GO!" He jumped into his car, gasping for breath as he looked around, realizing that no one was there. He stared at Isabelle and gasped as he realized she was staring at him, a small smile playing on her lips. She shook her head and smirked as a green SUV pulled up and climbed inside. "You. You did that, didn't you?" He smiled as the car drove away with her inside. "Oh, I can't wait to try that." He laughed. "Good one Kid, but not good enough to scare me off forever."

As they drove away, Miriam sighed and glanced at Isabelle in the backseat. "Sorry we were late." She and Matt smiled at each other before Miriam turned back to her. "We got held up at the supermarket getting stuff for dinner tonight. I called the school, they told you I would be about ten minutes late, right?" Isabelle nodded slowly. "Were you okay? No one bothered you, did they?"

Isabelle shrugged. "No one bothers me." She said softly. "I don't let them."

"Of course not." Matt reached into the back seat and ruffled her hair affectionately. "Of course you don't."

* * *

Seattle, Washington

Matt and Miriam were silent as they drove off of the ferry and made their way to the marina. As she pulled up at his rental car, Miriam turned to him. "Take care of yourself and be careful, okay?"

Matt nodded. "You too. Stop prowling the streets at night looking for trouble."

"I will." She leaned towards him and kissed him passionately. "I'm going to miss you like crazy when you're gone."

"Same here." Matt winked at her. "But I'll only be gone a few days. I'm coming back to Seattle a week from Friday to start visitation with Matthew. Do you think you guys will mind having TWO visitors then?"

Miriam shook her head. "No, we won't mind at all." She sighed as she stared at his car, parked away from a streetlight, bathed in darkness. "I really don't want to see you leave. I don't want you to leave at all."

"I don't want to leave either, but I have to go." Matt reached out and squeezed her hand. "Maybe you should just go ahead and drive away after I walk to the car." Miriam nodded, staring at her lap as tears began to fall from her eyes. "Oh, don't." He kissed her cheek. "This isn't goodbye forever, just for a little over a week." He tilted her chin up, smiling at her. "We've gone six months, we can go a week, right?" Miriam nodded. "Smile?" Miriam tried to smile as Matt kissed her goodbye. "Nine days. You'll see me in nine days." He grabbed his suitcase and climbed out of the SUV. He turned and waved goodbye as Miriam waved back before driving away. Blinking back tears, Matt quickly made his way to the rental car and tossed the suitcase in the trunk before climbing behind the wheel, his mind a million miles away.

"Hey there, Loverboy!" Matt's eyes widened as he started to turn. Elle sat up in the backseat and grabbed his neck, jolting him unconscious before climbing out of the car. She watched as a van pulled up. "Dose him so he can't use his powers for a day and then toss him in the van. Justine will be joining him for the trip by tomorrow morning."

* * *

The Hideaway, SoDo District: Seattle, Washington

Miriam wiped her eyes and adjusted her makeup, cursing as she noticed the time before she climbed out of her SUV and entered the bar. Lauren greeted her, a lascivious smile on her face as she arrived. "How was your day?"

Miriam shrugged. "Great until I had to let him go home." She looked around at the crowded bar, grabbing a beer and swigging it. "Wednesday nights."

"Hump day. Everybody's working for the weekend." Lauren studied Miriam. "You okay?"

"I guess." She nodded. "I will be."

"So is this Parker dude going to become a permanent fixture?" As Miriam smiled softly, Lauren gasped. "Get the fuck outta here! You? The dude with the tie? Seriously? He seemed so buttoned up and proper."

"He's not once you loosen the tie." Miriam giggled. "I'm giddy."

"You're in love." Lauren nodded.

"I don't know about THAT yet, but I don't think it would be a far trip to take."

"Love looks damn good on you, Boss Lady! You've got color in your cheeks, you're walking with even MORE of a strut than usual-" Lauren leaned against the bar "-and now I can honestly say I have dibs on our mystery guy."

"Mystery guy?" Miriam stared at her.

Lauren nodded, winking at Miriam. "He came in last night all dark, hot and sexy. He was looking for the owner of the bar because he wanted to compliment you on this place's 'vibe', but I got the feeling that he'd maybe seen you before and wanted to try and pick you up or something. Honestly, how do you feel with guys constantly wanting to throw it at you?"

"Before the guy with the tie? I'd fuck 'em and run." Miriam swigged her beer.

"Bitch." Lauren glanced over her shoulder. "I'd fuck him and stay!" As Miriam turned, she nodded. "He's here again tonight. He showed up as soon as we opened the doors and has been here ever since."

"It's almost midnight." Miriam frowned.

"He's been nursing the same drink most of the evening, just watching everyone." Miriam followed Lauren's gaze to Sylar as he sat in a corner table, fiddling with a glass as he stared back at them intensely. Lauren shuddered. "I just want to do a split on his face." She turned her back to him with Miriam and leaned against the bar again. "Fucker's HOT! And did you see the way he was watching us? He KNOWS we're talking about him, I just know it."

Miriam nodded, frowning as she tried to push away the uneasy feeling she'd felt when she saw him. "Yeah, he's hot." She said absently.

"And since you're now officially spoken for, I think I'm going to wait and see if he's still here at last call and see if he wants to join the mattress Olympics at my place. I'd give him a gold medal in everything."

"Gold means he came first, Lauren."

"Shit." Lauren giggled. "Okay, he gets the silver because I'm getting the gold."

For the next hour and a half, Miriam walked around the bar, meeting and greeting her regulars, a shiver traveling up and down her spine as she realized the mystery man was continuously watching her, his eyes never leaving her as she moved. Finally, irritated, she grabbed a bottle of tequila and two shot glasses before pretending to head up to her office. Out of sight of others, she turned invisible and quickly made her way back down the stairs, skirting customers as she approached the man's table.

Sylar could hear her approaching, listening to her heartbeat as she drew nearer. He smiled, realizing her power. _Invisibility.__ That's a very good one._ He didn't jump when she appeared in the shadows behind him, setting the tequila bottle down in front of him on the table with a thud. She walked around the table, her narrowed eyes never leaving his as she sat across from him, setting the shot glasses down before opening the bottle and pouring a shot of tequila into each glass.

"You drink?" She asked, her voice full of steel.

"When asked by a beautiful woman, yes." Sylar quickly downed the shot, watching as she followed suit, their eyes still never leaving the others'.

She leaned forward quickly, glaring at him. "Bob send you?"

Sylar's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Bob who?" He watched as her eyes narrowed further, the blue in them barely visible under the heavily mascara'ed lashes. She cocked her head to the side as if she appeared to be listening to something. Finally she sat back in her chair, nodding as she began to relax.

"So what brings you to my bar?"

"Like I told your bartender, I liked the vibe. It's a great bar."

"Thank you." Miriam nodded. She poured two more shots, pushing one glass towards him. "Another?"

"Of course." As he reached for the glass, he gasped as her hand quickly shot out, grasping his wrist. He moaned as he felt an electric tingle pass between them. "What the fuck?" He pulled his hand from her.

Miriam shuddered in her chair, her eyes glazing over. "Holy shit." She gasped. "How many powers do you have?" As Sylar rubbed his wrist, she shivered and coughed, choking for a moment. She shook her head, trying to clear her mind. "So many different powers, I'm registering them all at once, but there's no empathic mimicry, nothing that would show how you've-" she looked up at him, her eyes suddenly widening "-how did you get all of those powers if you're not a mimic like me?"

Sylar smiled softly as he leaned forward. "You're a mimic? You take powers from others?" He nodded. "Like Peter Petrelli. I heard he didn't feel too hot after he met me the first time. I had too many powers overwhelming him at once, apparently. I heard he was comatose for two weeks afterwards because of it." As Miriam shuddered, he nodded. "And it's affecting you, too."

"Oh my God." Miriam clutched at the table, her head reeling. "You're Sylar."

"And you're my next victim." As Miriam glared at him, he laughed, his voice deep and gravely. "Congratulations."

"I'm going to beat your ass." She gasped.

"In your condition, you can't beat a fly, Honey." Sylar stood and leaned over the table menacingly at her. "And when I'm done with you, I'm going to kill your twin Justine and make the little one watch. When I'm done with her, I'm going to kill dear Isabelle too."

Miriam quickly rallied, feeling a burst of adrenaline as she snatched up the tequila bottle and smashed it over his head. He yelped and fell to the ground as Miriam jumped over the table, tackling him and pummeling him with her fists. "You touch my family and I'll fucking KILL you!" She shrieked as her employees ran towards her. She fought as they pulled her away. "Get this piece of shit OUT of here!" She screamed.

"Come on Big Boy, you're done here." Tiny grabbed Sylar by the collar and dragged him towards the door as he moaned and whimpered, his head bleeding. With a quick shove, Sylar found himself lying in the alley, swiping angrily at the blood that poured from the gash in his head.

"Miriam?" Miriam calmed down as Lauren approached her. "What the HELL?" She touched Miriam's cheek. "Oh God, you're sick! You're burning up!"

"I'll be okay." Miriam started towards the door and turned back to Lauren, tossing her the keys to the bar. "You're in charge, probably for the next few days. You're being promoted to manager and we'll discuss your raise when I get back."

"Where are you going?" Lauren stared at the keys in her hand, then watched as Miriam stomped out of the door to the alley, slamming it behind her. "What the fuck just happened?"

Miriam started to run towards her car and gasped as she felt herself being pulled backwards. She turned her head and yelled angrily as Sylar stepped into view. "You're not going anywhere Bitch, I owe you for that shit you just pulled in there."

Miriam turned as he pulled her towards him and quickly punched him, knocking him across the alley onto his back. She stomped angrily towards him and began to punch him, throwing him against the walls of the alley. "You think you can attack ME? Bitch, please! I'm immortal, mother fucker!" Miriam swayed and tried to catch herself, suddenly collapsing on the ground.

"And yet you can't even stand and you're burning up with a fever. Did I get you hot, Baby?" Sylar cackled as he walked over to her, straddling her as she tried to fight back. "Your DNA can't handle the acquisition of all of my powers at once. It's changing, adapting and making you sick as a dog in the process. That's okay, I'll take them all back now." He lifted his finger and started to cut into Miriam's head, growling as the wound instantly healed. "I'm SICK of these fucking mimics and their healing powers!"

"And I'm sick of you trying to kill me." Miriam head butted him and kicked him off of her. She struggled to stand as he lay on the ground, laughing at her. "It's bad enough you threatened me, but my sisters? You're gonna pay for that shit, Homes. You're gonna pay with your life. You talk about killing my sisters, you even think of coming near them, I'll beat you to a pulp. I'll fucking kill you."

Sylar laughed as he rolled over. "You'll have to find me first. Let's race, shall we? Who can get to 202 Puget Cove Way on Bainbridge Island first?" As Miriam shrieked and started for him, he opened his mouth, emitting a sonic scream. He winced, yet grinned as he noticed how Miriam screamed and covered her ears, the sonic sound affecting her newly acquired super hearing. "I'll take a head start, okay?" He jumped up and ran out of the alley as Miriam trembled and sobbed, her ears throbbing, her body ravaged with a fever.

Miriam struggled to stand, swaying as the alley blurred in her vision. "Oh fuck, too many powers." She shivered, feeling hot and cold at the same time. "I haven't had a fever since I was nine." She moaned. Trembling she shook her head. "I've got to pull it together. He's going to my house. I have to stop him, I have to beat him first." She rallied, pooling all of her strength as she jumped into the air and began to quickly fly towards her house.


	10. Chapter 10: An Uneasy Alliance

Chapter Ten: An Uneasy Alliance

October 4, 2007

Bainbridge Island, Washington

She struggled to stay awake, to stay focused as she flew towards her home, shivering and sweating from the fever raging through her body. As she neared her home, she suddenly spasmed, her muscles screaming as she began to cough and retch. "Shit." Miriam muttered as she plunged out of the sky towards the water of the sound. Miriam hit the water, thanking God that she had already dropped low to approach the house as she had begun to fall. She began to sink in the icy water and gasped, taking in a mouthful of water as she fought for the surface. Fighting to keep from passing out, Miriam swam towards the dock and pulled herself up, lying on her stomach on the dock, vomiting up the water she'd just taken in. "He's coming. He's on his way here. I have to fight." She made herself stand, shivering more now as the cold night air assaulted her soaked body. Shaking her head, she ran towards the house, her boots squishing with each step. She fished her keys from her pocket and unlocked the back door. Miriam ran inside, screaming her sisters' names as she bolted for the stairs. "JUSS! IZ! GET UP NOW! GET DRESSED NOW! GET U-" She grabbed the banister of the stairs to stay upright as she began to cough again.

"MIRIAM?" Justine ran out of her room, pulling on a robe. When she spotted her twin on the stairs, she gasped at her appearance. Her leather clothes were soaked, her wet hair hanging in her face, but what worried her most was her sickly pale skin, offset by dark circles around her eyes and two red hectic spots blooming on her cheeks. "Oh my God-" She started towards her sister.

"STAY BACK!" Miriam shivered as she stood and started back up the stairs. "You've heard of Sylar, right?"

"Yeah. Matt mentioned him. He's a serial killer who steals other people's powers."

"He's here." Miriam moaned. "I touched him and got all of his powers at the same time. We fought outside of the bar." As Justine started for her again, Miriam held her hand out. "STAY BACK!" Her eyes widened as Justine flew back through the hallway, landing on her butt near the end of the hall. Isabelle ran out of her room and spotted her sisters, her face a mask of fear. "JUSS? You okay?"

Justine stood, rubbing her rear. "I'm fine. My ass hurts now, thanks."

Miriam stumbled at the top of the stairs. "Like I said, we fought and I got all of his powers, apparently telekinesis is one of them. I don't think empaths were made to take on that many powers at once." She swayed, grabbing the wall. "My body's trying to adapt to everything and-" She sank to the floor "-I feel like shit."

"You look like shit." Justine began to walk towards Miriam again and stopped. "And that's why you don't want me touching you. You don't want me to get sick either, right?"

"You'll have to touch me eventually, we're a pretty handsy family but no, not tonight." Miriam crawled towards her room. "You need to be one hundred percent to get Iz out of here and run."

"What?" Justine shook her head. "Fuck no! I'm not going without you and you can't go anywhere like this!" She and Isabelle followed Miriam into her room, keeping their distance as Miriam stripped off her sopping clothes, tossing the ruined leather pants to the side.

"You have to run, you have to take Izzie." Miriam pulled on underwear and a bra, shivering and moaning softly through chattering teeth. "He's coming here, Juss, he knows where we live. I think he's the 'bad man' Izzie's been talking about." She turned to Isabelle. "The bad man, you've seen him?" Isabelle nodded slowly and gasped as Miriam morphed into Sylar. "He look like this?" Isabelle whimpered and nodded, burying her face against Justine's chest. Miriam changed back to herself. "He wants to kill us all, Juss, he said so. He's on his way here now to fight all of us and you two aren't going to be here when he arrives, got it?" She grabbed a pair of jeans and a sweater, pulling both on before yanking her hair back into a ponytail.

"I'm not leaving you, not like this." Justine shook her head. "You can't fight him in this condition, Mir."

"You have to take Isabelle. Take her and run. Go to a hotel in Oregon, okay? Go to that one we stayed at in Portland, that Holiday Inn, remember?" Justine nodded as Miriam talked. "If he comes here and you're here, you'll get sick like me if you touch him. You need to be well so you can protect Iz."

"Miriam-" Justine closed her eyes, tears sliding down her cheeks "-what if he kills you?"

"He won't. I'm going on rage and adrenaline right now and I've got a few new powers to fight him with. He's not going to kill me, but I don't want you two here when he comes. I want you both safe." Miriam coughed and shivered as she stumbled past Justine and Isabelle to Isabelle's bathroom. She grabbed a handful of aspirin and took it dry, making a face as she chewed it. "Shit, I haven't had a fever in twenty years. I forgot how miserable it felt."

"We don't have any money for a hotel room." Justine stroked Isabelle's hair. "Remember when we agreed to pay cash only, no credit cards that can be traced?"

"I remember." Miriam sighed. "Where are your keys?"

"Why?" Justine asked.

"While you and Iz pack, I'm going to run to the bank, to the ATM. I'll get cash for gas and a hotel room. You two stay here, pack as quickly as you can. If I'm not back in fifteen minutes, leave without me. Take my bow-rider, go the marina and then fly to The Hideaway. My Armada's there." Miriam stumbled back to her room and fished her keys from her wet pants and a wad of damp bills. She placed them on the bed. "That'll pay for gas and some cheap jewelry that you can convert to gold and hock."

Justine sighed as she walked to her room. Isabelle watched Miriam, crying as her sister sat on the bed, shivering and coughing. Justine returned with her keys, setting them on a dresser. "Be careful."

"You too. Lock the doors and don't let anyone in. If I'm not back in FIFTEEN minutes-"

"-I know." Justine watched helplessly as Miriam grabbed the keys and walked out of her bedroom. She followed her downstairs with Isabelle as she made her way to the garage. "Are you okay to drive?"

"No, but I'll make it, I promise." Miriam turned at the garage door, her eyes filling with tears. "I love you both so much. It would kill me if anything happened to either of you."

"I love you too." Justine sniffled. She turned away, trying not to cry as a sobbing Isabelle ran to Miriam, hugging her tightly.

"It's okay, Iz. I'll be back soon with money and you and Juss can run." Miriam stroked Isabelle's hair for a moment, then kissed her cheek and let her go. "I have to run. Get packed quickly. I don't know how quickly he'll be able to get here. I flew, but he's well and he had a bit of a head start. I passed out before I reached the house and landed in the sound by the dock. I don't know how long it took to get out of the water." She turned and quickly left the house, stumbling towards Justine's beige Armada.

Elle sat in a van with her team at the intersection of the access road that lead to the Pratt sisters' home. She rubbed her eyes sleepily, then sat up, wide awake as she spotted Justine's SUV pulling onto the street. "Hot damn! She must have gotten a call to work tonight. Thank God for murder and mayhem, right boys?" She turned to the team's driver. "Follow her, but not too closely. As soon as we can, we're grabbing her!" The van pulled onto the street, following the SUV.

Miriam grabbed a cell phone and dialed it. "Information? Brooklyn, New York please. I need a listing for Dr. Mohinder Suresh." She listened for a moment as she stopped at a stop sign. "Yes, connect me through."

* * *

Hartsdale, New York 

Bob ran quickly towards Mohinder's holding room, carrying his ringing cell phone and handing it to the doctor. "We've patched your home line through to the cell phone. It's a call from a cell phone in Seattle, we think it may be one of the Pratts, DO NOT give her warning that we're coming or-"

"-I know. Matt and I will lose Molly and Matt will lose his son, you disgusting bastard." Mohinder answered the phone. "Hello?"

* * *

Bainbridge Island, Washington 

Miriam sighed with relief as she heard Mohinder answer the phone, hearing his British-Indian accent. "Mohinder? Thank God! This is Miriam Pratt, I know Matt's mentioned me. Listen, don't talk, I don't have a lot of time. I know you work for Bob Bishop so when I hang up, call him immediately. I have an offer." She blinked back tears as she thought of her sisters. "I'm turning myself in to the company. I know he probably has some sort of SWAT team units scattered around the country, so I'm hoping he has one near Seattle. I'm on Bainbridge, Island. I live at 202 Puget Cove Way, it's a big cedar and brick two story house, you can't fucking miss it. Tell Bob if he sends a team within the hour to my home, not only will I turn myself in, but he'll have Sylar too. Sylar is here, he's been stalking me and my sisters. I fought him outside of a bar that I own. I got a huge dose of all of his powers and my body isn't taking it too well. I'm sick as a dog right now and I don't know how much longer I can last. Sylar's heading here, to my home. Send whoever you can as quickly as you can to help me subdue him. I don't think I can fight him alone in my condition. Just give me about twenty minutes to get my sisters to safety and then Bob can have me all to himself. I know I'm the only one he really wants, since" her lips trembled "since I'm the one that attacked him when I was sixteen. If he lets my sisters go free, he can have me to lock up for the rest of my life." She hung up the phone and sobbed as she pulled onto the street and drove towards the bank. "Jussy, Izzie, I'm sorry. I had to do it. I have to keep you both safe." She pulled up at the bank and jumped out of the car, barely putting it in park before she ran to the ATM. She quickly withdrew as much money as she could and tucked it in her jeans before running back towards the SUV, it's engine idling.

"HEY! SUPERBITCH!" Miriam turned as Elle blasted her with electricity, shrieking before falling to the ground, unconscious. Elle smiled. "Your hateful twin Miriam's getting an even more shocking dose when I get a hold of HER!" She pulled out a tranquilizer gun and shot Miriam in the shoulder before turning to her team. "Get her on a gurney and get her to the airport hangar with Parkman." She sighed as her cell phone rang. Watching as Miriam was placed on a gurney and tied down, she answered it. "Guess who I just tagged? JUSTINE PRATT! Tell me you love me!"

In Hartsdale, Bob paced the floor of Mohinder's room. "Sylar is in Seattle on his way to Bainbridge Island. Miriam just called us. Apparently she fought him, but he got away. He taunted her with her sisters and he knows their address, so he's going to be there soon to attack her and her sisters. Send a team to the house on Puget Cove and lay low until Sylar arrives. I want you to tag and bag Sylar, Miriam and Isabelle and bring them back. I'm sending a team to grab Justine. Leave her where she is and head over to the Pratt house, now."

Elle nodded, her eyes shining with excitement. "Hot damn! Yes Sir!" She gave her father the address to the bank and turned to her team. "Another team is on the way to collect Justine. Leave her strapped to the gurney in her car. We've got another even bigger fish to catch." She walked to the SUV and turned off the engine before popping open the doors to the hatch back. She watched as Justine's gurney was placed in the back. "Make sure she's tied down. I know she's out, but still-"

"-Yes ma'am." The team leader nodded as he closed the doors. "They'll be here to collect her soon."

"Goody! Now, let's go get the serial killer, the feeb and the even BIGGER Super Bitch at the house!"

* * *

The moment Miriam left, Justine and Isabelle ran upstairs to their rooms. "Make sure you pack enough clothes for a week Iz, and make sure they're all the right color, but do it quickly, got it?" Justine barked at Isabelle as they ran. Isabelle nodded as she bolted into her room and grabbed a suitcase, quickly throwing her clothes inside. She joined Justine in the hallway as they quickly ran down the stairs with their bags. Justine checked her watch. "We have five more minutes to wait for Miriam. Where is she?" She turned as Isabelle began to gasp and cry, shaking with terror. "Izzie? What is it?" 

"Hello ladies, going somewhere?" Justine turned as Sylar strolled into the living room from the kitchen, blood pouring from a wound on his head. "Oh yeah, your sister did that. I'm going to do much worse to the two of you." As Isabelle began to glare at him, he shook his head. "Oh no, you're not going to work your mojo on me tonight, Kiddo!" He twitched his fingers, sending Isabelle flying. She fell, hitting her head on the coffee table.

"IZZIE!" Justine ran to her sister, crying as she cradled her in her arms. Blood poured from a gash in her forehead. "Oh no." As Sylar watched, Justine stroked Isabelle's arm, smiling as the wound quickly began to heal.

"Oh, that's a very nice power." He sneered. "I can't wait to try it." He waved his hand, pulling Justine from Isabelle and towards him. "I'm going to take it right now, actually." Justine screamed as her forehead began to open. He gasped as the wound quickly closed. "Shit! You're another one?"

Justine glared. "Another empathic mimic? Fuck yeah! And guess what? My sister and I have the same powers, asshole! After all, we ARE identical!" She ran towards him and punched him, gasping as his powers ripped through her body. He yelped, feeling the same shock in his cheek that he'd felt in his wrist at Miriam's bar. Justine shuddered and began to cough as Sylar turned to her, laughing. "What's so funny?" Justine gasped.

"You." Sylar chuckled as he rubbed his cheek. "You think you're so big and tough, just like you're twin. She didn't feel so hot after getting all of my powers at once, how are YOU doing with them?"

"I'll be fine. You're the one who needs to worry." Justine pulled a gun on him as he began to laugh harder.

"Please." His smile faded as he glared at her menacingly. "Go ahead. Shoot me. It worked out so well for that guy that's been banging your twin. Ask HIM what happens when you shoot at me." As Justine repeatedly pulled the trigger, Sylar held up his hand with a bored expression on his face. Justine gasped as he stopped the bullets, then pushed them back at her. He grinned as the bullets stopped in front of her with a wave of her hand. "Oh, someone's already adapting to my powers." Justine coughed and shuddered, her cheeks turning red with fever as the bullets dropped benignly to the floor. "I am going to have so much fun kicking your ass before I take your powers."

"You'll have to fight me for them." Sylar and Justine ran towards one another and fell to the floor, wrestling and punching each other. Justine pushed Sylar off of her, letting him fly across the room. He hit the wall and slid down it, the wound on his head leaving a trail of blood on the wall. Justine slowly stood, her vision blurring with the fever. "Want more? I've got more where that came fro-" she suddenly stopped, her eyes widening as she saw an image of Elle, her hand held out as sparks flew from them. "-Oh no-" Justine shuddered as she experienced the pain of her sister's body being wracked with voltage before she fell to the floor, fainting.

"What the fuck?" Sylar slowly stood and limped over to Justine, prodding her with his foot as she trembled and twitched. "I'll be damned. Sister went into power overload." He straddled her, smoothing her sweaty red-blond hair from her forehead before he pointed his finger at her. He jerked as a voice began to fill his head.

_Get 'way! GO 'WAY! _

Sylar turned and spotted Isabelle crouched on the floor, glaring at him. "Oh, did you just tell ME to do something, Kitten? You think you're going to play mind games with me now? Big sister here is conked out for the moment and she's not coming back. When I'm done with her, I'll take care of you." As he turned to Justine, he began to scream, his mind filling with terrifying images. "STOP IT!" He shook his head, trying to stop the flood of monsters that filled his mind, the same monsters that scared him as a child, that he knew lurked under his bed and in his closet at night. "STOP IT KID!" He got up, stumbling away from Justine as he clutched at his head, screaming in pain.

Justine heard the screams as she came around and sat up slowly, shaking with a fever. "What the-?" She turned and watched Isabelle. "Are YOU doing that?" She turned and watched as Sylar writhed on the floor, begging for mercy. "Izzie stop it. IZZIE!" She crawled towards her sister and shook her. "STOP IT!" Isabelle's glazed over eyes suddenly focused on Justine as Sylar stopped screaming. He lay in a heap on the living room floor, moaning and shaking in terror. "Izzie, that's enough. He's stopping now." She turned and watched him as he cried, curled up in a fetal position. "What the hell did you show him?"

"His fears." Isabelle whispered.

"We have to run. Now." Justine grabbed her sister and shakily stood, swaying. "Crap! I shouldn't have touched him." She moaned as Isabelle grabbed their suitcases and the keys that Miriam left. "Izzie, we have to run. Miriam's, she's not coming." She shook her head. "They took her, The Company took her. I saw Elle as she shocked Mir. I think Miriam sent me a 'broadcast' of what she saw or something with her telepathy right before she got hit. They're coming here next, I know it."

Isabelle nodded. "The bad people are coming. We have to go." She took Justine's hand and began to lead her out of the living room.

"Wait." The sisters stopped as Sylar rolled over, staring at them through a haze of blood that poured from his head. "What did you say about your twin?"

Justine trembled and coughed. "I don't have time for your shit. If you don't lie down, be a good boy until we leave and never come back, I'll let Isabelle finish the job on you."

"What did you SAY about your twin?" Sylar slowly stood, woozy from blood loss. "Something about a woman named Elle and electricity? The company?"

Justine glared at him. "We've been on the run from them since our mother died. They want to lock us up because our powers are too dangerous. They just grabbed my sister."

Sylar nodded, a muscle in his jaw twitching. "You're going to try and break her out?"

"Maybe." Justine shook her head, her cheeks flushed from fever. "I haven't thought that far ahead. All I know is they have Mir and they're coming here next. I know it."

"Then let's go." Sylar stepped towards her and groaned as Justine pushed him back with telekinesis. "Hey! I'm offering to HELP here, Dumbass!"

"WE DON'T NEED YOUR HELP!" Justine yelled at him.

"No?" Sylar sneered. "Look at you. You're sick because you've taken on all of my powers at once. Peter Petrelli did that too and he was in a coma for two weeks from what I heard. You've got a beef with that company, so do I! They kidnapped me twice, they held me in Odessa torturing me and running tests, they injected me with a virus to take away my powers which I could only get back by snatching Mohinder and his ward and threatening them until he cured me. That blond bitch Elle? She tried to kill me. Right now I think my priorities have shifted, what about yours?"

"Meaning?" Justine sniffled.

"Meaning right now? I'm thinking of the saying 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend', what about you?" Sylar stepped slowly towards Justine, struggling to stand. "You cure me of this head wound and I'll safely escort you and your little sister to Odessa to take back Miriam. In the state you're in, you're not going to make it to Texas on your own, you won't even make it out of Seattle. I'll take care of you, I'll take care of you both and we'll escape together. We'll bring down that piece of shit company that's fucked with both of us for once and for all. What do you say?"

Justine stared at him warily, swaying as she tried to stay conscious. Isabelle's eyes darted from Sylar to her sister. "I don't trust you."

"Good. I don't trust you either, or Little Miss Mind-Games there, but we need each other right now."

"Besides getting back at them for snatching you, what do you get out of tearing apart The Company?" Justine asked.

"Maybe it means that I can keep traveling the country, collecting powers without looking over my shoulder for one of their goons." Sylar turned, raising an eyebrow. "Many people drive around here this time of night?"

Justine shook her head slowly. "No."

"A van's pulling onto the road, I can hear it." He turned back to Justine. "So, would you rather deal with me, or them?"

"If you try to double-cross us, if you try to hurt either of us, I won't stop Izzie next time." Justine glanced down at her sister as she leaned against her.

"After what that kid just did to MY brain? I'm going to be a choir boy around you two." Sylar nodded towards the kitchen. "Never thought I'd be bested by an addled teenager."

"She's autistic, not addled you asshole." Justine growled weakly.

"Whatever she is, I'm not fucking with HER again." Sylar glanced behind his shoulder again. "The van's pulling up. Are we going to keep going round and round about this, or are we all going to haul ass?"

Justine turned to Isabelle, swaying weakly. "Well?"

Isabelle glared at Sylar. "Hurt her, I'll hurt YOU."

"Deal." Sylar followed the sisters out the back door and onto the deck. He gasped and swayed again, his head throbbing. "Oh God, I'm going to boot." He leaned over the deck and vomited as Justine shivered beside him. "Your sister gave me a fucking concussion. My head's killing me and I've lost a lot of blood." He held out his hand. "Care to kiss it and make it better?"

Justine snatched up his hand, healing him quickly before dropping it. "All better?"

Sylar stood up, smiling at her. "You didn't kiss it."

"You can kiss my a-" Justine moaned, her eyes rolling back in her head as she fell into Sylar's arms, fainting.

Sylar touched her forehead, sighing. "She's burning up. Someone should tell these little emo mimics that I should be treated as untouchable." He heard voices as people ran towards the house. Lifting Justine in his arms he turned to Isabelle. "Unless you want to be locked in a cell with a shunt in your brain, you'll follow me, Kid!" He ran down the dock with Isabelle right behind him and jumped into Miriam's boat. He set Justine down on the cushions in the bow of the boat and grabbed the suitcases, setting them to the side before helping Isabelle onto the boat. She handed him the keys and ran to Justine, cradling her sister's head in her lap and stroking her cheek as Sylar untied the boat. He pushed out away from the dock with his telekinesis and began to use it to push the boat through the water. He watched as Isabelle took care of her sister and walked over to them, pulling off his coat and draping it over Justine. Isabelle stared up at him, her brow furrowing for a moment as he shrugged. "What? She's sick, okay? I'm not a TOTAL bastard, damn!" He walked back to the steering wheel of the boat, guiding it through the water silently until they were in the middle of the sound. Once the house faded from view, he cranked the engine and sped it towards the marina.

* * *

As Elle and her team pulled up near the Pratt house, she frowned, staring at the car parked on the street beside it. "That wasn't there when we left, was it?" The team leader shook his head. Elle carefully got out of the van and walked to the car, gasping as she saw the blood on the head rest. "SHIT! I think it's Sylar!" She pulled her gun and ran towards the house, the team running behind her. She burst into the home, staring at the disarray of the living room, the blood on the wall, the floor and the coffee table. "Oh fuck me gently with a chainsaw." She moaned as she pulled out her phone and called her father. "Daddy? We've got trouble."

* * *

Hartsdale, New York 

Bob hung up his phone and turned to Noah. "Elle just arrived at the house. Sylar had already been there. There's blood on the floor and the walls, but no bodies. While she was telling me about it, the team found more blood and some vomit outside on the deck and three sets of footprints in the dew on the deck leading to where Miriam Pratt had a boat. One set of footprints disappear before the dock, so apparently Sylar's carrying someone, probably Miriam." He sighed. "She probably passed out finally from the shock of taking too many powers at once. She sounded pretty sick on the phone with Mohinder."

"So they may all three still be alive." Noah frowned. "Why wouldn't he just kill them? Obviously there was a fight or a struggle in the house."

"I don't know. I've told Elle to get samples from all of the different blood stains and to bring Justine here. She's been ordered to be on our private jet with Parkman and Justine within the hour to return here. One team will stay behind to clean up the house, the other will escort Elle and our captives." Bob rubbed his eyes. "Knowing Miriam, she probably ended up appealing to Sylar's darker nature and got him to join up with her to come after us."

"Where would Isabelle fit in?" Noah asked.

"Who knows?" Bob groaned. "But Miriam and Sylar together? The idea of that scares the hell out of me."

* * *

Sea-Tac Airport Hangar: Seattle-Tacoma, Washington 

Matt's eyes fluttered open, staring at the ceiling of the hangar. Turning his head, he saw a small airplane parked nearby, with two men standing guard over him. He remembered Elle shocking him and tried to sit up, gasping as he realized he was tied down. "Might as well quit fighting, Dude." One of the guards told him. "You ain't going nowhere and don't even bother trying to 'convince' us otherwise. We've taken away your powers for a while. They'll come back in about twenty-four hours, don't worry."

"Why am I here?" Matt moaned, his head pounding.

"Because you led us to the Pratt girls. The boss wants one of them for a job. Does the name Justine ring a bell?"

"JOB?" Matt struggled again to get free. "What kind of job?"

"Don't know, we just do the dirty work, hanging onto you until the boss' daughter arrives with Justine. They've already got her, she should be on the way." He answered his cell phone. He smiled as he talked for a moment and hung up. "Elle is here now with your buddy. We'll be heading back to New York now." He and his fellow guard grabbed Matt's gurney and loaded him onto the plane. Matt craned his head, watching as a van pulled up and began to pull another gurney out of the back of it before he was carried onto the plane. He glared at Elle as she climbed aboard, smirking at him.

"You followed me here." He snarled.

"Fucking duh." Elle turned and stepped back as the other gurney was carried on board the plane. "Put her highness Justine next to Parkman and tranq her again before we take off. I don't want her waking up until we get to New York."

Matt bit his cheeks to keep from laughing as he recognized Miriam. "Well, so you decided to grab 'Justine'. Why?"

Elle shrugged as she sat in a chair, grabbing a beer from a mini fridge and gulping it down, belching. "There's some Big Bad Nasty out there in the Canadian wilds that Daddy is freaked out about. He says that the Pratt girls are the keys to bringing it down." She glanced at Miriam, smirking. "Noah Bennet actually is the one who wanted them, Daddy just wanted them brought in and put down until Noah talked him out of it. They decided that Justine would be more reasonable to discuss the whole deal with first and convince the other one, the bitchier one to come in and help too."

"And in exchange?"

"They get their freedom." Elle made a face. "Whatever. I'm hoping Daddy double-crosses them and locks them up once they get Bigfoot and throws away the key."

Matt glared at her for a moment as she spun around in her chair, swigging her beer. "Well you're right. Justine is more reasonable. She probably will agree to help." He looked away, trying not to laugh. _But Miriam is going to tear the building apart once she wakes up._

As the plane took off, one of the guards touched Miriam's forehead, placing electrodes on her to monitor her brain waves. "Elle? This one's sick."

Elle rolled her eyes. "Oh please! They're immortal and shit, they don't get sick!"

He took her temperature with an ear thermometer. "This says she has a fever of one oh three in her ear. Bump two degrees up and you have her actual temp. If we don't cool her down and soon, she's going to fry her brain." Matt turned and stared at Miriam, a worried expression on his face.

"Fuck." Elle grabbed her cell phone, glaring as the guard tried to stop her. "This is MY Daddy's company and if I want to use the phone, I will!"

"You'll mess with our equipment, the equipment we need to fly." He handed her a plane phone. "Use this before you crash our plane." Matt watched how the guard rolled his eyes as he turned away from her. He found himself wishing he could read the man's mind, knowing he'd get a good laugh at what he was thinking.

Elle sighed and dialed the phone. "Daddy? Justine's running a fever. The guard says it's like one hundred and five or something." She sighed and hung up. "After Miriam fought Sylar and got sick, she must have touched Justine and passed it on. Pack her in ice until we get to New York."

"Sylar?" Matt's eyes widened. "Miriam fought Sylar?"

Elle nodded, smirking at Matt. "Yep. Apparently we haven't been the only ones stalking the Doublebitch twins. Sylar showed up at Miriam's bar tonight and got into a battle with her. She got away and got home to call Mohinder, who by the way is being held at Daddy's office until you get there. Daddy figured he'd try to warn you that we were coming once he found out. Anyhoo, Sylar showed up and he and Miriam got all fighty and then she ran home and called Mohinder to tell him that she wanted to turn herself in, which was stupid on her part, since we were coming anyway. Poor thing wanted us to keep her sisters out of it, like we'd ever do THAT! She must have touched Justine and passed Sylar's powers on to her, making her all sick too, which sucks for her, since after Justine went to get money, Sylar apparently showed up at the house and started round two with her."

"WHAT?"

Elle shrugged. "Yeah. Sylar apparently got into a knock-down drag-out with Miriam and Isabelle at the house before we could get there. There was blood all over the place. I've got samples for Daddy." As Matt looked away, tears in his eyes, she sighed. "Oh buck up, Boy Scout! We saw three sets of footprints leading to a dock where we observed a boat docked at earlier that day. The boat was gone. Daddy figures that Sylar convinced Miriam to team up with him to get Justine back. They have this twin connection shit, so she must have felt it when I jolted Justine." She grinned. "I hope it stung like a bitch, too. We'll track the three of them and catch them, hopefully before Sylar decides to pop their tops." She raised an eyebrow at Matt. "Miriam's kind of a slut too, isn't she? I mean, she gave your lonely ass a tumble just hours after meeting you, right? Man, I bet she'll throw her legs wide for Sylar too, once she gets over her little sickness. That would suck for you, wouldn't it? You obviously have it bad for her. How would it feel to lose Super Bitch to Sylar of all people?"

Matt turned and glared at her. "My sister Isabelle is with Sylar, a known serial killer. I'm worried about her too, not just Miriam. Shut the fuck up."

"Ooooh! Do you kiss Miriam with that nasty mouth? Hell, I bet she's had nastier. She just looks like someone with some seriously round heels. She do you real good? Obviously she gave you a screwing like you'd never had before. Let's hope she doesn't screw you over with Sylar the way she screwed you in her bed. "

Matt looked away as Elle giggled. "Why are they sick?"

"Apparently one little drawback to collecting powers with people that have empathic mimicry is, if you collect too many at once, your body goes into shock. I heard it happened with Peter Petrelli the first time he met Sylar. Ran a fever, nearly died." Elle plastered on a face concerned look. "Gee, I hope that doesn't happen to the Pratt girls. Then poor Isabelle will be ALL ALONE!"

Matt clenched his fists as he turned to Miriam, watching the way she shivered as ice was placed around her neck to cool her. Her face was chalk-white, save for dark circles under her eyes and two bright red fever spots on her cheeks. He closed his eyes. _Miriam, I don't know if you can hear me, Baby, but you've got to fight this. You have to get over this as quickly as you can. The Company has us. They followed me and __I'm sorry. I led them straight to you and your sisters and now they have us. Sylar has Justine and Isabelle and Justine's probably sick now too if she touched him. They're still alive, but they need you. Please wake up, please fight._ Matt opened his eyes, his heart sinking as she continued to lie motionless on the gurney. _I love you, Miriam Pratt. Please Baby, wake up.__ I can't read you mind right now, not that I ever could, but I'm really hoping that you can read mine. Please wake up, Mir. Izzie and Justine need you. I need you. I need you to be okay. Please let me know that you can hear me._ Matt continued to stare at Miriam, willing her to move, flutter her eyelids, anything to prove that she could hear his thoughts. Finally he sighed and turned away, fighting tears.

"Whoa!" Matt turned back as one of the guards stared at a monitor. "We got a few blips on her brainwaves, Elle."

"Good, maybe the bitch is having a stroke." Elle leaned back in her chair and dozed off.

Matt turned back to Miriam and stretched his hand out as far as the restraints would let him. He smiled softly as his fingertips brushed the top of her hand. _Thank you, Baby. I hope you feel that. I know you probably feel like shit, but I just want you to know that I love you and you're not alone. I'm here._

* * *

Portland, Oregon 

As soon as they'd arrived at the marina, Sylar unloaded the bags first before helping Isabelle out of the boat. He climbed back in and grabbed Justine, wrapping her tighter in his coat before carrying her off. He searched the parking lot for a moment until he found what he needed, a van. Ordering Isabelle to carry the suitcases, he carried Justine to the van and broke into it, carefully placing her in the back seat before loading the suitcases. As Isabelle scrambled into the passenger seat, Sylar climbed into the driver's seat and quickly started the car with a quick flash of nuclear energy. He'd glanced over at Isabelle as she watched him intensely. "Neat trick, huh Tiny?" She refused to speak, her dark eyes boring into him as he pulled out of the parking lot and headed South with the sisters. He'd stopped at a truck stop an hour later and took a quick shower, rinsing the blood out of his hair and off of his face and shoulders before returning to the van with a bag of ice. He tossed it at Isabelle. "Put it on your sister." As Isabelle refused to move, still glaring angrily at him, he sighed. "She has a very high fever, Kid. She's going to die if we don't cool her down and soon. You want your sister to die?" As he sighed and started to turn towards the back seat, Isabelle snatched the bag out of his hand and climbed over the captain's chairs to get to Justine, placing the bag of ice on her stomach. Justine moaned and shivered, murmuring deliriously with her fever.

He'd driven for a few hours more until they reached Portland and Sylar realized he was too exhausted to go any further. He pulled into a small motel and fished around for money in his pockets. As he began to count out the small amount of bills he had left, cursing under his breath, Isabelle had quietly climbed back with her sister again, digging in her pants pocket until she found the money that Miriam had given her earlier. She turned and handed it to Sylar, still not speaking as she climbed back into her seat and continued to stare wordlessly at him. "Thanks." He murmured. "I'm getting one room for all of us. I don't trust you two not to run without me once Justine gets better." He glanced over his shoulder at Justine as she tossed and turned, mumbling and crying in her sleep, her face flushed. _IF she gets better._ He thought to himself. _Girl's not looking good at all._ He turned back to see Isabelle still staring at him, worry now replacing the anger in her eyes. "You heard that? You can not only fuck with my mind and make me see messed up shit, you can read it too?" She nodded silently. "Lovely. We have to take care of her, both of us. Got it? You need your sister to get better and I'm going to need someone to help me bust into that company and tear it down. I'll be right back."

He walked into the motel's office and returned soon with a key to a room. He quickly drove the van around to the back of the motel and parked before climbing out and carrying Justine out of the back seat. "Bring the bags, Tiny." He muttered to Isabelle as he carried her sister towards their room. Once inside, he gently placed Justine on one of the beds as Isabelle walked in behind him, lugging the suitcases and setting them down with a huff. Sylar noticed her exasperated expression. "Oh, is someone getting annoyed with carrying the luggage? It's either that or carry your sister and she's got about seven inches and forty pounds on you." He walked into the bathroom and filled the bathtub with cool water. As soon as it was filled, he walked back into the bedroom as Justine whimpered and trembled, her fever getting higher.

As Sylar began to pull her sweater off, Isabelle began to slap at his hands. "WHAT NOW?" He turned as Isabelle glared at him. "Don't worry. I'm not going to take advantage of a sick woman. I'm going to strip her down to her underwear and put her in the tub. She's burning up, Kid!" He turned back as Isabelle stepped away from him and pulled Justine's sweater off, then her sneakers and jeans. Lifting her up, he carried her into the bathroom, Isabelle falling in step behind him. Justine shrieked and moaned, shivering as he placed her in the tub and began to sponge her face with a washcloth, talking to her in a soft, reassuring voice as Justine cried and whimpered. "It's okay, don't fight it. This is going to make you better soon, I promise." He turned to Isabelle. "Go to the van and see if the previous owner had some Tylenol or something like it in the glove compartment." Isabelle glared at him and he shook his head. "PLEASE go and see, okay?" Isabelle slowly stood up and started for the door as Sylar turned back to Justine, bathing her in the cool water. "Hang in there. This will be over soon. You'll adjust to the extra powers and you'll be fine, it's okay." Moments later, Isabelle returned with a pill bottle and handed it to Sylar. "Thank you. Fill a glass with water please?" As Isabelle filled a glass, Sylar shook two pills into his hand and tried to give them to Justine, groaning with frustration as she spat them out. "Damn." He pulled off his shirt and climbed into the tub with her, cradling her against his chest as he placed the pills in her mouth. He held her mouth closed with one hand, massaging her face with the other. "Swallow them. Go on, you need those pills." He breathed a sigh of relief as Justine swallowed the pills and reached for the glass. Isabelle wordlessly handed it to him, watching as he tried to coax Justine to drink. "You need fluids. Drink it. Come on. You've been sweating like a race horse with this fever, you have to replace the fluids you've sweated out." He finally got her to take a small sip and sighed, massaging her shoulders as her head lolled on his chest. "How fucked up is this? Six hours ago, I was planning on killing you and your sister over there, and now I'm half-naked in a tub with you trying to save your sorry life."

After a few minutes, he touched her forehead, nodding as he climbed out of the tub with Justine cradled in his arms. "She's still got a fever from what I can tell, but it's not as high anymore." He explained to Isabelle as he carried Justine to the bed and laid her on the bedspread. "Does she have any dry clothes? Check her bags and bring me her pajamas and a clean pair of underwear." As Isabelle's eyes widened, he shook his head. "Once again, let me explain something to you. I'm a serial killer, not a rapist. Not even I would stoop so low as to fuck a sick woman when she's passed out and weak. Hell, I've been so busy collecting powers for the last year I haven't fucked a well woman when she was all over me and full of energy so stop giving me the hairy eyeball, got it? Now, we're going to take these wet underthings off of her and put clean, comfortable, DRY clothes on her. Then, we're going to tuck her into bed, but we're only going to put a sheet over her, no blankets. If we bundle her up too much, she'll just overheat again and her fever will rise. She has to stay cool, no matter how much she shivers. When we've done all of THAT, I'm going to take off my wet jeans and tighty whiteys, wrap my junk and ass in a towel and go to sleep until my clothes drip-dry and if you and Justine here try to ditch me . . . " he drew a finger across his throat as Isabelle smirked, unimpressed. "Oh, just get me the damn clothes!" Isabelle continued to smirk, her arms crossed in front of her chest. "FINE! PLEASE get me the damn clothes!" She nodded and turned to a suitcase, bringing him a pair of clean underwear, a tank top and lightweight pajama bottoms. Sylar quickly pulled Justine's underwear and bra off, before he dressed her, trying to avoid looking at her naked body whenever he could. With Isabelle's help, he tucked Justine into the bed and nodded. "See? Unmolested and ready for bed. Now I'm going to do the same."

He turned and walked into the bathroom, shaking his head as he remembered how smooth Justine's skin was and how she'd felt against him as he'd climbed into the tub with her. "Oh cut that out." He told himself as he stripped off his clothes, hanging his jeans and underwear up to dry. "She's a cop, she's a bitch, you just tried to kill her and she's not worth getting a hard-on for." He frowned as he wrapped a towel around his waist. "And even if she wasn't all of those things, and even if we hadn't just had a major smack-down a few hours ago, she STILL wouldn't look twice at you." He walked into the bedroom, glancing over at Isabelle as she curled up to sleep beside her sister. He frowned as she snorted with soft laughter and rolled over, turning her back to him. "Oh lovely, you read my mind again?" He sighed as Isabelle giggled again. "Great, I'm being mocked by a teenager. Story of my fucking life." He climbed into his bed and stretched out under the covers, finally dozing off as Isabelle continued to giggle in the neighboring bed. "OH SHUT IT!"

* * *

Hartsdale, New York 

Elle woke up as the plane hit the runway, the tires screeching as it came to a stop. She sat up and turned in her seat, noticing the worried way Matt watched over Miriam, how his hand stretched out to touch hers. "Oh, how sweet! Is someone trying to get in good with the other twin to see if she might be up for a three way later? Let me guess, you always wanted to do twins at the same time so you could write a 'Dear Penthouse' letter, right? I can just see it now: 'Dear Penthouse, I know everyone ALWAYS says that they never expected this to happen to them, but I REALLY never expected two hot twins to EVER want to give a schlub like ME a kiss, let alone the hot night I experienced in their bed'-"

Matt's eyes narrowed. "-Justine is a friend of mine. What? If you had a friend and they were sick, wouldn't you want to let them know that they weren't alone somehow?"

Elle stared at him. "What did you mean by IF I had friends?" Matt smirked and looked away. "Fuck you." She turned to the guards. He's going to slow us down on the gurney. Take him off and cuff him. I'll escort HIM to the van while you take Sleeping Bitchy over there."

Matt sat up, stretching as the restraints were removed from his arms. He climbed off of the gurney and turned his back to the guards putting his arms behind his back. The guard that had rolled his eyes at Elle earlier cuffed him. "Thanks for not fighting, Man." He said.

Matt shrugged. "Just making your job easier. I'm a cop, I know what a pain in the ass it is when someone doesn't come quietly."

Elle rolled her eyes as the guards grabbed the gurney. "Well aren't YOU Mr. Helpful?" She grabbed his cuffs and steered him towards the door. He spotted another van waiting for him beside the plane on the runway. "Let's go."

Matt walked down the stairs and towards the van, glancing over his shoulder as the guards began to descend with Miriam's gurney. He felt a small jolt run up his arms from the cuffs and glared at Elle as she smirked behind him. "Oops! Eyes front, asshole!"

He climbed into the back of the van and sat on a bench with Elle as the gurney was loaded beside them. Matt noticed the way Elle pulled her legs up, taking care not to touch Miriam. He squirmed, grimacing as he tried to stretch his arms. A guard noticed and nodded to him. "Turn around, Dude."

Elle glared. "Why?" As Matt turned around, the guard uncuffed him. Matt dutifully placed his hands in front, allowing himself to be cuffed again. "Why are you doing that?" Elle asked the guard.

He rolled his eyes. "The road to the facility can be bumpy. He needs to catch himself if we get bounced around him here."

Elle stared at the guard and Matt. "Bounced around?" She glanced at Miriam and quickly got up, climbing over Matt to get to the front passenger seat as the van was cranked up. "Not taking any chances of letting HER accidentally get MY power." She grumbled. "Even if she's too fucked up to know she has them."

Matt leaned forward, squeezing Miriam's hand as the van pulled away. "Hey there." He whispered to her. "We're almost at the facility. They'll put you in a comfortable bed and keep you that way until you're feeling better, okay?"

"Or until she runs a fever so high her brain fries." Elle quipped from the front seat.

Matt turned as he heard a voice begin to echo in his head. _Matt? Matt? Where am I? What's going on?_

Matt pretended as if nothing was going on as he inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. _Welcome back, Miriam. __Don't move, don't try to open your eyes, they'll just knock you out again if you do. The Company followed me, apparently. I'm sorry. Justine was right. _

_Justine? Did she and Izzie get away? Sylar was-_

_-Just stay calm. They're taking us to the facility in Hartsdale. They wanted Justine but apparently Elle's too __stupid__ to tell you two apart. They have some job they want you two to do in exchange for your freedom. I'm sorry they followed me, Miriam._

_-He was so strong and his powers, they made me so sick. I feel so sick, Matt. How can I read your mind? We usually get feedback and-_

_-They disabled my power for now. You're reading my mind and telepathically talking back to me. I'm so sorry about this, Miriam. I really am. _

_-Where are Izzie and Justine?_ As Matt tried to push away the thoughts of what Elle had told him earlier about Sylar, he heard Miriam inwardly gasp. _No. No, no, no, NO! NOT MY SISTERS! NOT MY SISTERS! _Miriam began to shiver. _I have to wake up, I have to get away and fight and find them and-_

Matt frowned as she seemed to be cut off. He turned and saw a guard injecting a tranquilizer in her. He caught Matt's eye and nodded to a monitor. "I think she was starting to come around. Her brainwave activity was picking up and her heart rate began to increase. This'll keep her quiet for another hour or two."

"Good idea. She's pretty powerful." Matt grumbled. He leaned forward and brushed damp strands from Miriam's flushed forehead. _Get better, get well. You'll come around soon and when you're better, we'll get away and find our sister and Justine. I love you._ Matt sighed as he bent down and gently kissed Miriam's forehead, his heart pounding with worry as he felt how high her fever was. He turned to the guards, shaking his head. "Justine's like another sister to me. I hope she gets well soon."


	11. Chapter 11: The Wrong Twin

Chapter Eleven: The Wrong Twin

October 4, 2007

Primatech Facility: Hartsdale, New York

Matt climbed from the back of the van first, his hands once again cuffed behind his back as Elle shoved him forward into the building. "Think that since you've proven yourself to be a big fat liar with Daddy that he'll lock you up with your sister and girlfriend once they're caught?"

"I didn't lie when I said I didn't know where they'd gone. I came across them by accident, Elle." Matt sighed. He yelped as an electric jolt shot up his arms from his metal handcuffs. "Stop doing that you little brat!" He yelped again as Elle sent another jolt up his arm, laughing sadistically.

"ELLE!" Elle turned to see her father walking down the hall towards them, glaring at her. "What did I tell you about hurting Mr. Parkman?"

Elle shrugged. "You said nothing permanent, they're just LITTLE shocks." As Bob continued to glare at her, she lowered her head, chastened. "Sorry, Daddy."

"Don't apologize to ME!" Bob glowered at Elle until she nodded.

"You're right." She turned to Matt, gritting her teeth as she glared up at him. "Sorry." She muttered.

"Thank you." Matt rolled his eyes at her.

"And WHY is Matt in handcuffs?" Bob asked her.

"Because-" Elle started to speak as the guards came through with Miriam's gurney, heading to a room at the end of the hall.

"-We told her they weren't needed, Sir. Mr. Parkman's been nothing but cooperative since he woke up." A guard quipped as they walked past.

"Take off the cuffs, now." Bob growled.

"Fine." Elle sighed as she quickly unlocked Matt's handcuffs.

"Thank you, Sir." Matt whispered as he rubbed his sore wrists. "They were getting a little binding."

"I'm sure and I apologize for not only my daughter's behavior, but also for the way in which we had to bring you in. I would have tried to bring you in voluntarily, but I was worried that you'd alert the Pratt sisters to the fact that they'd been discovered." Bob nodded towards an office. "Come with me and I'll explain everything." As Matt started to follow, Bob turned back to him. "And regardless of the threats I'm sure my daughter's been throwing your way, you won't lose Molly, you won't lose my legal support when it comes to your son and you're not going to lose the job that was offered to you in Seattle."

Matt stopped, staring at Bob warily. "Mind telling me why you're being so nice?"

Bob stared at Matt, looking offended. "Well, if you must know, your father was a dear friend of mine many, many years ago. I don't know if you realize this because obviously your mother never told you, but I'm your godfather. You remind me of your father, but in a good way. You're much smarter and have a much stronger moral center than he did and you're certainly more trustworthy. You're a good person in general and you're a good man to have on one's side, as I'm sure the Pratt girls will attest." Bob nodded towards his office and walked towards it, with Matt following behind him. "God knows I need everyone on my side right now that I can get."

"Well, maybe if you stopped threatening-" Matt shrugged as Bob turned to him, glaring "-people are usually more cooperative when you're not threatening them with their freedom or their lives, or the lives of their children, or threatening to take away said children."

Bob pursed his lips as his brow furrowed. "I wouldn't have REALLY killed your son or Nathan's children. I just wanted your cooperation. I didn't think that the three of you would be too receptive to my wishes if I simply said 'please'."

Matt walked into Bob's office, noticing Noah Bennet sitting off to the side. He turned back to Bob as he sat at his desk. "So you think I'm so trustworthy? What if I told you that I've known that the Pratts were in Seattle all this time?"

Bob gave Matt an amused look. "I'd know you were lying. If you REALLY knew where the twins and your sister were, you wouldn't have waited six months to track them down. Hell, after finding out where they were, you barely wasted a DAY getting to them, am I right?" Matt shrugged and nodded. "Now, we need to talk about the part-time position I'd like to offer you. Sit, please."

Matt sighed as he sat down next to Noah. "This should be good." He muttered.

* * *

Elle followed Miriam's gurney into a room, watching as the guards gently lifted Miriam and placed her onto a bed, quickly strapping her down before covering her with a blanket. "Gee, why don't you both read her a story while you're at it?" She grumbled. The guards glared at her before turning and walking silently out of the room. Elle turned and grinned as Mohinder walked into the room. "HEY YOU!" She skipped over to him, throwing her arms around his neck as he stood there, stiff and unresponsive. "What's wrong with YOU?" Elle asked, letting him go as her smile faded. 

"We're done." Mohinder shook his head as he stepped past her and walked to Miriam, quickly taking her temperature before he began to examine her.

"What?" Elle stared at Mohinder's back in disbelief. "What do you mean 'we're done'?"

Mohinder refused to look at her as he tended to Miriam. "Exactly what I said. You and I aren't a good fit, Elle. You're impulsive, you're childish, you're sadistic and you're not right for me. I must have been out of my mind for ever dating you in the first place."

Elle blinked back tears. "Mohinder please. Don't be like this, okay? I'll be better, I'll be nicer, I'll-"

"-We're done, Elle. I'm tired of bargaining with you, of hearing your promises to behave, to be a better person. It's simply lip service and nothing more. You'll never change, it's not in your nature. You deserve to be with someone who doesn't WANT you to change and I need someone who is different, someone who is mature." Mohinder wrote a few notes on a chart, placing it beside Miriam's bed. "Now, I need to report Justine's condition to Bob, excuse me." Mohinder step past Elle coldly as she began to cry, ignoring her as he left the room and closed the door.

Elle sat in a chair beside Miriam's bed, weeping. "Stupid men! I thought he was different, but he's just like all the others. 'Grow up, Elle!', 'Learn to behave, Elle', 'I used plenty of lube, just bend over and take it without whining, Kid!'." She glanced at Miriam. "That last one was Thompson. He used to work here until Noah blew his brains out. I wasn't sorry to hear he was dead. He was a pervert and a liar who kept swearing that he'd leave his wife if I kept doing these twisted kinky things with him, but he never delivered. I should have known better than to lose my virginity to him, that deranged ass-fucker!" She pouted in the chair, wiping away tears as she continued to pour her heart out to a comatose Miriam.

* * *

Portland, Oregon 

Justine slowly opened her eyes, glancing around as she sat up, confused. "What the-?" She stared down at her tank top and pajama bottoms. "What?" She glanced around the room, noticing that Isabelle was sleeping beside her. She turned and spotted Sylar as he slept in the bed across from her. She raised an eyebrow, studying his muscled arms and bare chest as he sighed and rolled over in his sleep. Blinking, Justine looked away, shaking her head. She climbed out of bed slowly, her legs feeling like rubber as she stumbled to the sink and filled a glass with water, gulping it down.

"Slow down. You don't want it coming back up." Justine turned to see Sylar watching her. "How are you feeling?"

"Better." Justine nodded as she filled the glass again and began to sip the water. "Where are we?"

"A small Mom and Pop hotel on the outskirts of Portland." Sylar climbed out of bed, rewrapping the towel around his waist as Justine blushed and looked away. He approached her and carefully touched her forehead, nodding. "Fever's gone. I guess you adapted to all of those extra powers faster than old Petey-boy did."

"I guess so." Justine stepped back from him, frowning. "Did you put me in a bathtub with cold water?"

"A few hours ago, yeah." Sylar nodded. "Your fever kept spiking. I'll bet it was over hundred and four at least. I'm surprised you didn't go into seizures."

"You took my clothes off." Justine whispered. "And afterwards, you took my-"

"-I didn't look, much! I just saw glimpses as your sister and I dressed you in the pajamas. I didn't think you'd be too comfortable sleeping in a wet bra and panties, but I'll just leave you in them next time." Sylar looked away.

"I wasn't accusing you of being a pervert! GOD!" Justine rolled her eyes as she stepped towards the bathroom. "I stink. I'm taking a shower. Can I trust you to let Iz sleep and leave her the hell alone while I'm in here?"

"Are you kidding me? That kid can stay sleeping as far as I'm concerned. I don't want her messing with my head again. Besides," Sylar glanced over at the sleeping Isabelle "she keeps STARING at me, it's a little unnerving."

"Suck it up." Justine walked into the bathroom and stopped, turning back to Sylar. "Thank you for what you did, by the way."

"Welcome." Sylar growled as he climbed back into bed. "I'm going back to sleep."

"Have at it." Justine closed the bathroom door and took Sylar's wet jeans and underwear off of the shower rod before undressing. She started the shower and undressed, sighing happily as she stepped under the steamy water and began to bathe, remembering how cool Sylar's hands had been on her fevered body earlier that day as he'd undressed her. She frowned as she soaped up her body, shaking her head. "Oh, do NOT even go THERE!" She told herself.

* * *

Primatech Facility: Hartsdale, New York 

Bob nodded as Mohinder finished speaking. "So her fever's abating for the moment?"

Mohinder nodded slowly. "For the moment. I think she may be out of the woods as far as that goes. Peter Petrelli was in a coma with the fever for two weeks after being exposed to Sylar, but he had only recently manifested and wasn't as in control of his powers as Justine is. I think her body's much more adapted to taking on new powers. She still got sick after being exposed to all of Sylar's powers, but I don't think she's going to take as long to recover as Peter did."

"Well, that's good news, at least." Bob turned to Matt, frowning at Matt's dazed expression. "Are you quite alright?"

"Given what you've told me about Roger? No Bob, I'm NOT alright!" He shook his head, looking away. "Holy shit."

Bob sighed and turned back to Mohinder. "So now we just have to wait for the tranquilizer to lose its effects so we can sit Justine down and talk with her."

"You mean so** I** can talk to her." Noah peered at Bob over his glasses. "Remember, you're sitting this initial meeting out. Justine might be reasonable, but I don't think even she's ready to talk business with you. You've kept her and her sisters on the run for the last six months, and when she was a teenager-"

"-I know." Bob rolled his eyes. "I'll stay out of it!"

* * *

In Miriam's room, Elle finished talking about the men in her life. Shaking her head, she glanced over at Miriam as she slept. "You know, for a bitch, you're a pretty good listener. Of course, that could be because you're knocked out cold." She chuckled as she stood. "Thanks anyway, though." She gasped as Miriam's hand shot out, grabbing her bare wrist. Her eyes wide, Elle watched as Miriam phased through the straps holding her down as she sat up, smiling maliciously at her. 

"You're welcome. And for the record? I AM a bitch and if I had to listen to you whine for another fucking second, I was going to roll over and beg you to knock me the fuck back out. GET A SPINE! DAMN!" As Elle tried to pull loose, reaching for a panic button with her free hand, Miriam shook her head. "Oh no, you're not about to warn your precious Daddy that I'm coming for him. I owe him for a lot, but especially for this recent piece of fresh hell, snatching me and Matt? He's going to pay dearly." She let go of Elle and shoved out with her telekinesis, sending Elle flying across the room. Elle hit the wall with a bone-snapping crunch and slid down it, unconscious as Miriam turned to a light fixture and unscrewed the bulb. "Thanks for the new power too, I think I'm going to have a LOT of fun with it!" She shoved her hand into the bare socket and pulsed electricity through it.

In Bob's office everyone sat up as all of the lights went off. A moment later, the room became dimly lit as emergency generators kicked up. Bob climbed out of his chair as he heard shouting from down the hall. "Oh dear." He murmured. "Damn that Elle."

"You think she's awake?" Noah asked as he got up and began to walk towards the door.

Bob swallowed as he heard gunshots. "Awake and pissed off." As Noah opened the door, Bob reached out. "NO! WAIT!"

Noah turned to Bob, smirking. "One of us needs to go and reason with Justine before she tears this place apart, don't you think?" He walked into the hallway with Matt and Mohinder following behind him. Bob sighed and followed them out, cowering behind the men as they walked down the hall. Noah stopped, hearing groans ahead as his eyes adjusted to the minimal light. "Justine?"

"Where's Bob?" He heard a feminine voice say angrily. "I want Bob Bishop front and center-NOW!" Noah's eyes adjusted to the light as he spotted Miriam standing in the middle of the hallway angrily. She held a passed-out Elle up by the back of the neck with one hand, sneering. "Tell Mr. Bishop that unless he wants his precious little pumpkin to meet with an unfortunate accident, he'll show his ugly face and explain what the FUCK is going on right now!" She turned as a group of guards ran down the hall towards her, stepping over the other group that groaned on the floor, clutching their gun-shot knees. They pulled out tranquilizer guns as she smirked. "Oh, cute." She nodded. As they shot darts at her, she lifted a hand, stopping them mid-air. She quickly flung the darts back at the guards, chuckling as they hit the ground unconscious. She turned back to Noah. "Well? Where's Bob-O?"

Noah's eyes widened. "Oh shit. Elle grabbed the wrong twin."

"Yep." Matt nodded. "Boy did she."

Noah turned to Matt, his eyes blazing. "YOU KNEW? You could have warned us."

"Why?" Matt glared back at him. "What have you or anyone else done around here to earn my telling the truth after sending Bitch Crazy to stalk me and knock me out?"

"You know NOW why we did those things." Noah retorted. "You know what's coming for ALL of us-"

"-you could have come to Seattle and just had a civilized conversation with me and the girls instead of all of this crazy cloak-and-dagger kidnapping bullshit!" Matt yelled.

"Excuse me!" Miriam raised an eyebrow, an amused expression on her face as she watched Matt and Noah argue. "Princess here ain't getting any lighter and I may have super-strength, but I'm going to get tired of holding her up eventually. Now. I want Bob here front and center in ten seconds or I'm snapping his daughter's neck with one hand and don't think for a second that I can't or won't do it. I'm not in the mood for games right now." As Noah, Matt and Mohinder stared at her, wide-eyed, Miriam sighed. "Fine. One-Two-Three-Four-"

"-Oh for Heaven's sake, Miriam!" Bob pushed past Matt and Mohinder, stepping forward. "I really need your help with something so would you please-" he yelped as Elle flew past him towards Mohinder, who caught the girl and began to check her over "-that's REALLY NICE! Now will you just lis-" he gasped as he was quickly pulled forward towards Miriam. As soon as he was within reach, she grabbed him by the throat and shoved him against a wall with one hand. Bob continued to try and speak as he struggled for breath. "Miriam, please-"

"-The time for begging? Oh, that's LONG past, Buddy!" Miriam tightened her grip on his throat as he began to turn purple. "But you can beg if you'd like. Hell, it makes me feel all warm and tingly inside knowing you're begging me to actually spare your sorry ass! You've had this coming for a very long time."

"Miriam!" Noah stepped forward, holding up his hands. "Don't do this."

"Don't get in the middle of this Noah. I actually had a bit of respect for you, even if you did want me locked up when I was sixteen." Miriam glared at him. "Unless you want to be next, you'll stay the hell out of this! He deserves what's coming to him."

"I know." Noah nodded as Miriam's eyes widened with surprise. "No one here knows better than I do that Bob deserves what you're going to give him and even worse. I know he's terrorized your family, I was there when he harmed Isabelle, remember? He's done some pretty shitty things to me too. Because of him, I had to leave my family behind. I can't even call them to see how they're doing. I did that to keep my daughter Claire safe from the company after she manifested. I know he deserves to die, I know he deserves to die horribly, but there's something going on that takes precedence over that right now and you need to hear us out before you kill Bob. There's something coming, something that can kill us all if it's not stopped and now. We need you for that, you and Justine."

"Justine is with Sylar, or haven't you heard?" Miriam struggled to keep her composure as Bob turned blue against the wall. "He has her and he has Isabelle and it's my fault! If I had tossed Matt out of my bar when he showed up there, if I had listened to my head instead of my heart, they wouldn't have followed him to me and my sisters. I would have been able to return home from the ATM to give my sisters money to run and I would have been able to save them from Sylar!"

"They're alive, Miriam." Noah nodded. "Security footage from the marina showed Sylar carrying Justine to a van with Isabelle behind him. She seemed to be going willingly. Apparently Justine is sick now too after touching Sylar, probably after fighting him-"

"-Then I need to go!" Miriam glared. "After I kill this piece of shit, of course!"

"Wait." Matt stepped forward. "Come on Miriam, you don't want to do this. Just hear Noah out about what's coming-"

"-I DON'T CARE WHAT'S COMING!" Miriam shook her head defiantly. "We could have _War of the Worlds_ getting ready to happen and I wouldn't give two shits, Matt! I want to get out of here, find my sisters and beat Sylar's head in like a melon for coming near them!"

"We'll do that too, just let Bob go for now and listen to what Noah has to tell you." Matt pleaded. "Come on Miriam, you're better than this! Bob's not WORTH killing, Honey!"

Miriam's eyes narrowed further. "You're on his side." She nodded. "I should have known. They probably sent you so you COULD find us, right? The minute you knew where we were, you put the call in, didn't you? You sold us out after you spent all night in my bed."

"No." Matt shook his head. "You know that's not true and it really upsets me that you'd EVER think that I'd sell you, Juss or Iz out! Dammit, Miriam! Isabelle is MY SISTER! Justine is like a sister to me and I'm in LOVE with you! Now put Bob down, listen to what we have to tell you and stop acting like an ass!"

As the lights came back up, Miriam slowly let Bob go, watching with disdain as he gasped to breathe, sliding to the floor in a heap. She slowly walked over to Noah, her arms crossed in front of her chest. "You have ten minutes to convince me that I should actually help this piece of shit company, after that, I'm leaving and if ANYONE ever tries to come near me or mine again, I'll kill each and every one of you."

"Deal." Noah nodded. He frowned as Miriam turned and walked over to the guards at the end of the hall. "What are you doing?"

"Healing them." She murmured as she knelt in front of each of them as they moaned in pain, clutching their knees. "They shot at me so I threw the bullet back into their knees. I think they've learned not to shoot at me anymore." She quipped as she began to touch each man, waiting for the bullets to work their way out of their knees before finally standing. "Now, are all of you going to be good boys and put your damn guns away?"

One guard nodded as he shakily got to his feet, rubbing his knees. "Yeah." He turned and quickly ran away, his companions following him.

Miriam turned back and returned to Noah. "That ten minutes starts now." She nodded towards Bob's office. "Let's go." As Matt reached out to touch her, she glared at him. "You wanna lose that hand? Don't ever fucking touch me again. I can't believe I ever trusted you, much less thought I was falling in love with you. So much for being Isabelle's family. If you had really wanted to be her brother, you'd have kept her safe by NOT coming to my bar the other night! The fact that Sylar has Juss and Iz right now is just as much your fault as it is mine and if anything ever happens to them, I'll never forgive you." Matt stepped away, looking stricken as Miriam passed Mohinder, glancing down at Elle. "How badly is she hurt?"

"I think she has a broken humerus." Mohinder shook his head. "She'll have to have surgery to fix it probably, and have it pinned back togeth-" he gasped as Miriam quickly reached down, squeezing Elle's hand and healing the arm.

Mohinder stared back up at Miriam. "What? I'm a bitch, but I'm not a fucking bitch." She sighed as she followed Noah into the office. Bob slowly got up and limped into the office behind Miriam.

Matt leaned against the wall as Mohinder looked up at him. "If your face fell any further, it would be on the floor." Mohinder sighed.

"She hates me now." Matt squatted on the floor, looking miserable as Elle murmured and began to come around. "She totally hates me."

"She'll get over it. If she loves you as much as you obviously love her, she'll get over it eventually." Mohinder glanced down at Elle as he eyes fluttered open. "Welcome back."

"Whuh?" Elle's eyes widened as she jumped up, her hands beginning to spark. "Where is she? Where's the bitch? I'm going to-"

"-You won't do anything but get your ass handed to you again, Elle." Mohinder smirked as he stood. "She's talking with Noah and your father now."

Elle shuddered. "God! And I thought MIRIAM was the bitch!"

"That WAS Miriam." Matt laughed bitterly. "And now I'm the enemy, just like the rest of you." He slowly stood and walked down the hall, his head hanging down sadly.

"Where are you going?" Mohinder asked.

"It's been a shitty night and an even shittier day. I'm going to go off, be alone and get some sleep." Matt found an open room with a bed and walked in, closing the door behind him.

Elle rubbed her arm as she watched Matt leave. "What's his problem?" She glanced down at her arm. "And what happened to my arm? I thought I heard the bone snap right before I passed out."

"Your arm was severely broken. Miriam healed it. And Matt's problem? He's in love with a woman who is quite upset with him at the moment because YOU followed him to Seattle and kidnapped her." Mohinder turned and walked away from her, entering Bob's office.

Elle shrugged. "It's not like I had much of a choice." She muttered. "Why is everything always MY fault?"

* * *

Portland, Oregon 

Sylar sighed as he rolled over, frowning as he noticed Justine and Isabelle as they finished getting dressed. "Where are you two going?"

"Your jeans are wet and I don't think they're going to be drying any time soon. You don't have any spare clothes, do you?" Justine asked as she pulled on her shoes.

"No I don't. So?" Sylar shrugged.

"Well, unless you want to drive around in dirty wet jeans and underwear, I'm going to run into town and buy you some more clothes." Justine shrugged, looking away. "It's the least I can do since your clothes got wet helping me."

"You don't have any money. I spent all of it on this cheap-ass hotel room." He laughed as Justine lifted up a cheap-looking chain. "Yeah? And?" His eyes widened as it suddenly turned gold. "Holy shit!" He sat up, reaching for the chain. As Justine handed it to him, he studied it, shaking his head. "Was that for real?"

"Yep." Justine nodded. "I packed a few cheap chains and trinkets in my bag earlier, just in case I needed quick cash. I'm going to take that into the city and hock it. I should get enough to get you a pack of tighty-whiteys, a pair of jeans and a couple of sweat shirts with money for gas and another hotel room leftover." Sylar nodded, whistling in appreciation as he studied the gold. "Where are the keys?"

"The keys to what?" Sylar asked, handing the chain back to Justine.

"They keys to Miriam's Armada! That IS how we got here, right? You carried me to The Hideaway from the marina and we drove here in her car?" As Sylar shook his head, Justine glared at him. "Don't tell me you stole a fucking car!"

"No, I stole a fucking van." Sylar stretched out as Justine huffed angrily. "What? I wasn't dragging your heavy ass across town from the marina to get a car that the company would undoubtedly be looking for. I found the first thing I could find that you could be comfortable in while we ran."

"SHIT!" Justine shook her head. "The police are probably looking for it by now."

"Probably." Sylar murmured as he snuggled back under the covers. "Just steal another car, it's easy. You just-"

"-I'm a COP!"

"Not anymore you're not. Right now you're a woman on the run from scary people. Now, are you going to do what you have to do to survive, or are you going to sit around whining about things you 'can't' do because they're illegal while they catch up to you and your little sister there?" Sylar raised an eyebrow as Justine frowned. "Well?"

She sighed. "How do I steal the car?"

"Use your newly gained telekinesis to pop the lock on the door, touch the ignition and give it a little nuclear jolt, but JUST a little. You want the car to crank, you don't want to irradiate half of Portland."

"Fine." Justine turned to leave with Isabelle. She turned back, glaring as Sylar cleared his throat. "What NOW?"

"The little one stays here. She's not going with you. I don't trust you to come back unless you know she's here." Sylar nodded.

Justine turned to Isabelle. "You gonna be okay here?" Isabelle nodded silently as she stared at Sylar, her eyes boring into his. "Fine. I'll be back in a few hours."

"Bring dinner back too!" Sylar called after her. "FRIED CHICKEN!" He laughed as Justine left, slamming the door. He turned to Isabelle. "Why are you staring at me like that?" She refused to answer. "You don't talk much, do you?"

"Not to people I don't like." Isabelle turned from him and dug into her bag, pulling out a checkers set. She sat on the bed and began to set up the board, studying it.

"I don't care if you don't like me." Sylar rolled over, closing his eyes. "I don't like YOU either."

* * *

Primatech Facility: Hartsdale, New York 

Miriam stared off into the middle distance as Noah's words rang in her head. "Holy shit." She breathed.

"I know." Noah nodded. "So? You gonna help us? Here's what we need from you-"

"-not until my sisters are safe." Miriam shook her head. "I'm not doing Bob's little job until I can find my sisters and get them away from Sylar."

"Now hang on-" Bob started to speak.

"-NO!" Miriam leaned forward. "I'm NOT doing jack SHIT until my sisters are okay!"

"Fine." Bob looked away, poking his bottom lip out.

Noah bit his cheek to keep from laughing. "So we have an agreement. First, we'll go after Sylar and the girls. If we can locate them quickly, it shouldn't take a day or two at the most-"

"-But ROGER is almost to the Canadian/U.S. border!" Bob whined.

Noah ignored Bob as he continued to speak to Miriam. "-We'll help you find them quickly. Once that is done, you agree to recruit Justine to help lead a team of us to find and neutralize Roger. In exchange, you and your sisters will be given a monetary reward of-" Noah glanced over at Bob and smirked "-five million dollars a piece as a thank you for helping us with Roger AND as an apology for what you've all been through in the last six months-" as Bob gasped and started to speak, Noah shut him up with a warning look "-and you will all be free to go. You have our word that you and your sisters will NEVER have to look over your shoulders for us again. You'll be able to either return to your former lives, or continue with the lives you've created for yourselves in Seattle. The Seattle homicide unit has been called and informed that Justine has been called out of town on a family emergency, ditto Isabelle's school. We've also called the manager of your club, a girl named Lauren, and told her the same thing. A team is at your home on Bainbridge Island now, cleaning up the mess that Sylar made in the living room and kitchen. Do you agree to these terms?"

"Who's on the team?" Miriam asked.

Noah smiled. "You, Justine, me, Matt-"

"-not Matt." Miriam said angrily.

"Fine. Not Matt." Noah nodded. "I don't think you'll be able to keep him from your sisters once they're located though."

"He's not going on the mission to get Roger. Who else is on the team?"

Noah sighed. "I've asked Nathan and Peter Petrelli to join as well. They've agreed as long as Bob isn't around for it."

"WHAT?" Bob stared at Noah. "You must be joking!"

"I'm not joking, Bob." Noah shook his head. "They've agreed to do it, but only if I'm allowed to visit my family in California. Nathan's been in touch with Claire. Apparently she's not doing too well in school and neither is Lyle. They miss me and Nathan is willing to work with us if I can see my family. Peter's on board if Nathan is."

Bob sighed. "You've done well enough these last six months and you've proven yourself to be a company man again. You can see them."

"Thank you." Noah muttered sarcastically. He turned to Miriam. "Mohinder and Elle are also on the team. I know Elle's a loose cannon, but she's a good agent when she applies herself. She's also pretty powerful. I know you have her power now too, but extra electric power is never a bad thing."

"Fine. Agreed." Miriam smirked. "I also want a Ducati."

"A what?" Bob frowned as Noah and Mohinder looked away, grinning.

"A Ducati 1098 R, it's a superbike. I had a Ducati before Mom died, but thanks to you I had to give it away. I want a brand-spanking new one with all of the bells and whistles. Also, it only comes in red, so you'll need to have it customized. I want it painted solid black and put two heavy canvas straps on each side. On my old bike, I used to strap my legs into it and fly with it if there was somewhere I needed to be quickly."

"Fine." Bob sank in his seat. "Anything else?"

"I want my sisters found by midnight or I'm not doing shit." Miriam nodded. "And I want EVERYTHING in writing and signed by you."

"Now, Miriam," Bob purred "why can't you just accept the word of a civilized gentleman?"

"You put a civilized gentleman in charge of this place and I WILL accept his word. Until then, I want our agreement in writing." She smirked. "You need to know how to spell Ducati?"

"I'm sure I can figure it out." Bob snarled. "Anything else?"

"Yeah. Got a place to crash? Once Sylar's found, I'm going hunting."

Bob waved to Noah who led Miriam out of his office with Mohinder behind him. "By the way, Miss Pratt?" Miriam turned at the door. "Matthew didn't know that he was being followed. You were quite harsh with him earlier and needlessly at that. I have no doubt that if he'd known my daughter was following him, he'd have avoided you and your sisters. You should forgive him."

"Don't tell me what to do, Bob-O." Miriam growled as she walked out of the office.

"He has a point." Mohinder told her. "He's an ass, but he's right. Matt is wild about you. You should apologize to him for the way you treated him earlier."

"What did I just tell Bob?" Miriam glared at Mohinder.

"I don't care. You were a hateful bitch to Matt and he's devastated at the moment. If you had half the heart he claims you have, you'd apologize to him. Why he loves you when you treat him so cruelly is beyond me. Do you realize he could have found you and your sisters at any time? Molly is a locator, she can find anyone, anywhere. She even OFFERED to help find you girls and Matt made her swear to never, ever try to find them unless he specifically asked her himself. THAT'S how much he loves all of you, he made Molly swear to never find you, even if I asked her to." He turned and walked away as Noah led her down the hall.

"So you've been taken from your family?" Miriam asked Noah.

"Yeah." Noah gritted his teeth.

"I'm sorry. I hope you can see them after this."

"I will, one way or the other." Noah turned to her, studying her for a moment as he led her down the hall. _Don't react, pretend that this isn't happening. I want to bring this company down and Bob with it. I have Matt, Nathan and Peter on my side. Matt agreed months ago to help, but I haven't brought him into it yet. Now I'm ready. I'm the one that wanted Justine brought here for this so I could talk with her first, but you're striking me as someone as equally reasonable. Nathan, Peter and I have a plan to depose Bob and turn this company back into the noble organization it once was, not the corrupted piece of shit it is now. Can I count on you to help us when the time is right? _

Miriam smiled softly as she turned, glancing over at Bob's office before rounding a corner. She nodded. _Are you kidding me? If it makes Bob feel even worse than DEATH would, I'm all in, Noah._

Noah grinned and winked at her as he opened a door, showing her a room with a bed. _Thank you, Miriam._ "There's a shower here too, if you feel like cleaning up."

"Thanks." Miriam returned the wink as she walked into the room and stretched out on the bed. She thought of Noah's words and started giggling to herself. "I'm going to have SO much fun here!"

* * *

Matt looked up from the bed hopefully as his door opened, then frowned as Mohinder and Bob walked in. "Oh. Hi." He stretched back out on the bed, staring sadly at the ceiling. "Is she going to help?" 

"Only if you're not on the team." Bob muttered.

"Figured that one was coming." Matt quipped.

"She only agreed to the conditions if we found Isabelle and Justine tonight." Bob sighed. "Molly told Mohinder earlier that you made her swear never to find them unless YOU asked her to?" Matt nodded. "She's on the way here with Maya. Can you please ask her to find the girls?"

Matt sighed. "Sure. Why not?" He shrugged. "You okay with it, Mohinder?"

"It's the only way." Mohinder nodded. "If it weren't I wouldn't want her using that power, but-"

"-I know. After what happened with my father, I'm a bit leery myself, but we have to find Isabelle and Justine quickly and NOT just because 'Her Highness' ordered it." Matt grimaced.

"Very well." Bob left the room as Mohinder lingered.

"I told her off for yelling at you, good and proper. She had no business blaming YOU for this."

"Thanks." Matt said softly.

"You DO realize that she's a bit of a bitch, yes?" Mohinder asked.

"Oh, she's more than a bit of one, but she's a softie under that hard shell. Total marshmallow with a good heart." Matt whispered.

"Right. Obviously." Mohinder quipped sarcastically. He turned to leave. "If you're curious, Noah put her in room eleven. If you're curious."

"Curious about what?" Matt asked softly.

"Just curious. You got yelled at pretty severely a while ago. I think it's time to yell back, don't you?" Mohinder turned and left the room as Matt sat up, nodding.

"Hell, maybe I SHOULD yell back." He smirked. "Growing a backbone worked last time." He sighed as he climbed out of the bed and made his way to room eleven. He opened the door and walked in, hearing the shower running. Walking into the bathroom, he leaned against the wall. "So are we going to talk like adults now, or are you going to keep yelling at me like a spoiled brat?"

Miriam stuck her head out of the shower, glaring at him. "What did you just say to me?"

"Oh, you heard me!" Matt nodded. He winced and grabbed his nose. "OW! Did you just telekinetically PUNCH me?" Miriam raised an eyebrow and shut the shower curtain. "DAMMIT!" Matt peeled off his clothes and climbed into the shower with her.

Miriam turned to him, incredulous. "Just what in the hell do you think you're-"

"-SHUT IT!" Matt rubbed his nose. "And I swear to God, if you hit me again, either physically or telekinetically, I'll-"

"-You'll what?" Miriam smirked.

"I'll make you start hitting yourself." Matt nodded as Miriam snorted with laughter. "Oh yeah. I've got my father's power, Sweetness and even though Bob took it away earlier, it's coming back, BIG TIME. My father convinced your mom to give him a bounce in the sack once, I think I can convince you to smack yourself. I may have been raised not to hit a woman no matter what, but I won't technically be hitting you, now will I?" Miriam rolled her eyes and turned away to wash her hair. Matt glared at her, then concentrated. Miriam suddenly raised her hand and smacked herself in the face. "See? Told you so!" He laughed as Miriam turned to him, her eyes narrowing. "Funny, huh? I might get feedback if I try to read your mind, but all I get from making you do something is sweet satisfaction." As Miriam started to speak, her hand flew up and slapped herself a few more times. "Gee? Why are you hitting yourself, Mir?" He frowned and struggled as his fist suddenly lifted up and started punching himself in the face. "OW! OW! OW! QUIT IT!"

"I'm not doing it. You're hitting yourself, remember?" Miriam laughed. "You're right, that's very satisfying." She gasped as Matt reached out and grabbed her wrists as he pushed her against the shower wall, pressing against her. "Stop that." She whispered.

"Don't like it?" Matt nodded. "Then listen to what I have to say and then I'll leave. I've had it with you finding reasons to keep away from me and push me away. First, you claimed that because you're immortal, you don't want to get attached to me and watch me die. I shot that theory down good and proper. Then you claimed that Isabelle would be hurt, which I shot down as well. I thought that we'd finally come to an understanding. I thought we were finally at a place where we could work on being together, instead of thinking of excuses to be apart, but now you've thrown this new curve ball at me. I did NOT lead Elle to you on purpose. I would never do that to you, to Justine and especially not to Isabelle! It hurt my feelings that you would even consider something like that. Not only that, it pisses me off! Stop making up excuses, stop giving me shit and STOP PUSHING ME AWAY! GOT IT?" Miriam refused to speak as Matt stared at her. "Now, I've had my say. When you're ready to apologize to me for being a raging, hateful, psychotic bitch, you can find me in this building, but don't wait too long. Molly's on her way here to do me a favor and locate OUR sister for us and her babysitter Maya is bringing her. Maya's a very, very, VERY beautiful woman and she's been pretty obvious about her attraction to me. I've given her the short shrift because I've been stupid enough to be interested in you but hey, things could change. SHE wouldn't be a bitch to me and she certainly wouldn't ever treat me the way you treated me earlier. I could very easily get used to being treated like a good and decent man instead of an asshole."

He stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around his waist. He reached down and picked up his clothes and headed for the door. The moment he opened it, he frowned as the doorknob flew from his hand, the door slamming shut. He turned, glaring at Miriam as she shrugged and smiled softly at him. "Well?" She sighed. "Are you going to get in here and let me apologize to you, or are you just going to stand there?" She kissed him as he stepped into the shower, his hands roaming her wet, slick skin. "I'm a bitch. I shouldn't have said those things to you and I'm sorry."

Matt smiled at her as he lifted her up, feeling her legs wrap around his waist as he pressed her against the wall. "I think you're going to have to do a little better than that, Baby." He moaned.

"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet." Miriam whispered as she began to move against him, moaning softly.

* * *

Portland, Oregon 

Sylar stepped out of the bathroom, dressed in clean jeans and a red sweatshirt. "Thanks." He nodded to Justine as he sat down on his bed and dug through a fast-food bucket, pulling out a chicken breast. "God, I'm so hungry." He stared at Justine as she began to breathe hard, her face getting flushed. "Are you okay?"

Justine set her dish to the side as Isabelle began to laugh and shake her head. "Oh, you've GOT to be fucking KIDDING me!" She stood and quickly ran into the bathroom, slamming the door as Isabelle began to laugh harder.

Sylar turned to Isabelle. "What was that?" His eyes widened as Justine began to moan in the bathroom. "What the-?"

"Mir-Mir and Matt." Isabelle nodded. "Being together."

Sylar frowned. "What?" As Justine's moans grew louder, he shook his head. "What does THAT mean?"

"Twin connection." Isabelle shrugged as she continued to eat.

"OH! OH! GOD! OH HOLY SHIT!" Justine screamed in the bathroom.

Sylar's eyes widened. "Wait, are you saying that wherever they are, Miriam and Matt are-" Isabelle nodded "-and SHE can feel it?" He cocked his head towards the bathroom.

"YES! YES! YES! GOD YES!" Justine shrieked.

"Yep." Isabelle said with a mouthful of chicken. "If Juss hurts, Mir-Mir hurts. If Mir-Mir's happy, Juss' happy."

Sylar snorted with laughter as he heard a thud in the bathroom. "Go Matt and Mir-Mir. So that's why Justine passed out when Elle shocked Miriam? She felt the shock too?" Isabelle nodded. "Damn, that's fucked up."

"Twin connection." Isabelle quipped.

"OH MY FUCKING GOD! YES!!!" Justine screamed, then fell silent. A few minutes later, Sylar turned and grinned at Justine as she stepped out of the bathroom, her legs shaking and her face red.

"Have fun?" Sylar laughed.

"Fuck you." She muttered as she sat on the bed and continued to eat.

"Sure, go ahead. Tit for tat with the twin, right?" Sylar winked at her.

"Oh, in your dreams!" Justine grumbled. She groaned and walked to the bathroom again. "DAMN THOSE TWO! Has that asshole never heard of a refractory period? SERIOUSLY!" She slammed the door as she started to moan again.

Sylar nodded. "Oh, I think I could have FUN with this." As Justine's moans became louder, he nodded. "Oh, so MUCH fun! Go Matt, wherever you are. Suddenly, I have a lot of respect for you, Man."

* * *

Primatech Facility: Hartsdale, New York 

"Now THAT'S an apology!" Matt climbed out of the shower, laughing as Miriam followed him out, goosing him as he grabbed his clothes. "Don't tell me you're ready for round three." He pulled her close to him and began to kiss her.

"I'm ready when you are." Miriam murmured between kisses.

Matt sighed. "It'll have to wait until Molly finds the girls. She should be arriving any minute now." He grabbed his clothes and started to dress.

"Pity." Miriam pulled on a robe and walked into the room, staring at the scrubs that were draped across the bed. "When did those get here?"

"I brought them." Miriam turned to see Elle standing in the doorway. "I was going to knock on the bathroom door and tell you, but you were a little occupied by the sound of it."

Miriam frowned. "Thanks."

"Welcome. It's the least I could do-" Elle sighed "-thanks for fixing my arm."

"I broke it. It was either fix it or listen to you bitch about it hurting when you came around."

"Whatever, God!" Elle turned to leave.

"Elle?" Miriam smiled tightly at the girl as she turned to her. "Thank you."

"Welcome again." Elle walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"That was-" Matt shrugged "-actually nice of her. I've never seen THAT side to her before."

"Everyone has a nice moment or two in their lives, I'm sure." Miriam quickly pulled the scrubs on. "So where's this hottie babysitter? I want to see my competition."

Matt laughed. "Babe, she could never be competition with you." He draped an arm over her shoulder, kissing her cheek as they walked out of the room together.

They made their way down the hall, walking into a lab together. As soon as they walked in, Molly spotted Matt and jumped down from the chair she'd been sitting in. "MATT!" She shrieked, running towards him.

"HEY SWEETIE!" Matt hugged her tightly, kissing her cheek. "I missed you!"

"She's missed you too." Maya walked over, her eyes shining with adoration as she shook Matt's hand. "It's so good to see you, Detective Parkman. I'm glad you are well."

"Thanks." He looked down at Molly and turned to Miriam, taking her hand. "This is Miriam, Isabelle's sister."

Molly giggled and held her hand out to Miriam as Maya eyed her jealously. "It's good to finally meet you."

Miriam smiled down at the girl, ignoring the hand as she bent down and hugged her. "It's good to meet you too, Matt's told me so much about you."

"You too." Molly whispered in her ear. "He thinks you're pretty. I think he wants to date you."

"I don't have a problem with that." Miriam winked at her as Maya looked away, her bottom lip poking out.

"So where's Isabelle and Justine? I want to meet them too!" Molly asked Matt.

"That's the problem." Matt took Molly by the hand and walked with her to a chair. "They're missing. Sylar took them."

"Sylar?" Maya's eyes widened. "That little cabrón! That lerzo! Hijo de puta! Pendejo!"

Matt nodded. "You got it, Maya." He smiled at Molly. "They're alive, or at least they were a few hours ago. I know I asked you NOT to do this but-"

"-You want me to find them, right?" Molly asked.

"Yes, please." Matt nodded. "We need to know where they are so we can find them and save them before Sylar hurts them."

"Okay." Molly took the atlas that Mohinder handed her and began to flip through it. "I'm going to find Justine first." She stopped on the state of Oregon and quickly flipped to find a map of Portland. She pointed to an address. "There."

Matt nodded. "Okay. Thank you."

Molly smiled. "I'm going to find Isabelle now, to make sure she's okay." She concentrated again, then sat up, her eyes widening. "Oh no!"

"What?" Matt asked.

"It's like with your father, the Nightmare Man!" Molly's smile faded. "She's with Justine, but she can see me!"

Matt stared at Molly in shock. "Isabelle can see you?" Molly nodded. "Okay, get out of there now!"

"GO AWAY! STOP IT!" Molly shrieked as Matt took her hands. Miriam frowned and stepped forward, her face a mask of concern.

"Molly, get out of there now!" Matt ordered her.

"NO! NO! DON'T!" Molly's eyes rolled back in her head as she fainted, slumping in Matt's arms.

"What the hell was that?" Miriam reached out, stroking Molly's face. "What just happened?"

Matt shook his head, anguished. "Not again!" He moaned.

* * *

Somewhere and Nowhere 

Molly gasped as she woke up, realizing that she was in a bed. She frowned and climbed out of it, wondering where she was. She remembered Isabelle, Matt's sister, finding her and trapping her in her mind, just like the 'Nightmare Man' once did. Nervously, Molly looked around, staring at the pink and white striped walls of the bedroom she stood in, wondering when the nightmares would begin. Taking a deep breath, she turned and slowly opened the door, her heart pounding as she stepped into the hallway.

The hallway was brightly lit, sunlight streaming through a window at the end of the hall. Frowning, Molly walked down the hall and noticed a staircase. She slowly walked down it, glancing at a living room. She gasped as the image of a woman with red hair, lying dead in a pool of blood flashed on the floor of the room, then quickly faded. The room was just as bright and sunlit as Molly listened to birds singing outside.

"Hello." Molly turned to see a petite girl standing in the doorway between the living room and the kitchen. She smiled, recognizing the girl from her photos. It was Isabelle Pratt. Her long dark brown hair flowed down her back, pinned away from her face with two silver barrettes. She held a bouquet of freshly cut flowers in her hand. "Who are you?"

"Molly Walker." Molly whispered. "You're Isabelle, right?" Isabelle smiled sweetly and nodded as she entered the room, setting the flowers in a crystal vase on the coffee table. "Where are we?"

Isabelle turned to her. "Molly Walker? You're Matt's foster daughter, aren't you?" Molly nodded slowly. Isabelle reached out, hugging her. "Welcome to my world, Molly."


	12. Chapter 12: Isabelle's World

Chapter Twelve: Isabelle's World

October 4, 2007

Primatech Facility: Hartsdale, New York

Matt scooped Molly into his arms and placed her on a bed in the lab as Mohinder dashed around the room, grabbing electrodes. Miriam followed Matt to the bed as he stroked Molly's forehead, concentrating on reading her mind. "What the hell just happened?"

Matt gave Miriam a terrified look. "I think Iz just trapped Molly the same way our father did." He sighed. "Molly tried to find my dad for me six months ago. He ended up trapping her in a nightmare until I was able to get her out."

"How did you do that?" Miriam asked.

"I'm not sure. I know I ended up in the nightmare too, but then somehow I brought Maury into it as well and trapped him in it." He frowned. "I'd rather not do that to Iz. Maury's been in a coma since." He closed his eyes and concentrated on Molly's mind. After a moment, he opened them, a confused expression on his face. "That's," he stared at Miriam "trippy."

"What?" Miriam asked as Mohinder attached electrodes to Molly's forehead, to monitor her brain waves.

Matt shook his head. "She's not screaming for help like last time." He stared down at Molly, then returned his gaze to Miriam. "She's talking and laughing with someone. I think wherever Isabelle put her, they're together and they're having a talk, a good one from the sound of it."

"Okay then." Miriam rubbed her eyes. "You're right. That's trippy."

* * *

Isabelle's 'World' 

Molly looked around the room as Isabelle watched her, finally getting up and exploring. She bent down and sniffed the flowers on the coffee table. "I can actually smell these. They're nice."

"They're stargazer lilies and freesia. Mom used to try and grow them here." Isabelle looked around the room, sadly. "I used to bring Mom here a lot, actually. We'd sit down and have such long, wonderful talks. Ever since she died, I've thought about generating a likeness of her here, to keep talking to her, but I haven't." Isabelle stared at her lap. "It wouldn't really be Mom."

"So this is your world?" Molly asked as she walked to a window and peered out at it. She noticed the gardens outside, filled with flowers as butterflies flew around then in the sunlight.

"Yep. This is the house where I was born and grew up. It's the house I lived in until that one bad night." Molly turned to see Isabelle's sad expression, then caught a glimpse of a dead woman lying on the floor near the coffee table again before it disappeared. "I found my Mom here, dead. My sisters' father killed her. He shot her to death."

"I'm sorry." Molly whispered.

"It's okay." Isabelle stood and walked around the room, carefully straightening everything up as she talked. "This was my home, and in my mind here, it still is. I love our home on Bainbridge Island, but this is HOME, you know?" Molly nodded silently as Isabelle continued to straighten up, lining things up at a right angle. "In here, I'm 'normal'. I don't have problems talking to people, I'm actually like to hug people besides my family and look them in the eye. I can giggle and laugh with anyone I choose. I guess I'm the Isabelle that would have been if Mr. Bishop hadn't hurt me all those years ago."

"How did he hurt you?" Molly asked softly.

Isabelle shrugged as she carefully stacked a group of magazines together, making sure the stack was perfect. "He was testing me. I was only two. I don't really remember it verbatim, I just remember the impressions, the emotions, the pain I felt. He was testing my ability. He had this IV in my hand." Isabelle rubbed the back of her hand, grimacing. "I remember wanting to pull it out. I wish I had. I wish I had pulled it out before he put that stuff in it. It was the last thing I really remembered. I remember it felt like fire in my arm, like that time when I first started walking and I fell into a fire ant bed in the garden. That pain shot up my arm and into my head and I thought my brain was on fire. That's the last thing I remembered for a long time." Isabelle shook her head. "After that, I was the way I am now. I understand, I love, I desire and want so many things, but I just don't know how to express it. I don't know how to communicate it, except to my sisters and now Matt. But in here, I'm 'normal', I can say what I want and say what I feel and-" she looked down, laughing softly as she realized that she was stacking small decorative boxes, lining them up together perfectly "-okay, maybe there's still a bit of the real world Izzie in here." She placed her arms behind her back, chuckling softly.

Molly giggled. "You're autistic!"

"Yeah. Out there, I'm autistic." Isabelle nodded.

"That's cool. When I lived in California, I had a friend in school with Asperger's. He was pretty cool. He said what was on his mind. I liked that. A lot of kids made fun of him, but I really liked hanging out with him." Molly grinned.

Isabelle returned the smile. "I don't have Asperger's but yeah, I do have autism. I'm what you'd call a moderately functioning autistic. I do show some emotion and I do have some emotional attachments, but it's just so hard to relate to most people." She walked over to Molly and looked out the window. "Wanna go out there?"

"Sure." Molly nodded.

* * *

Primatech Facility: Hartsdale, New York 

Mohinder studied Molly's brainwaves, nodding. "It appears that she's dreaming, nothing more." He turned and squeezed Molly's hand before he brushed her forehead with the back of his hand. "And she's not running a fever as she did when Maury attacked her."

Miriam frowned. "I don't think Isabelle 'attacked' Molly, but I'm not quite sure what she's done, exactly." She leaned against Matt as he sat by Molly's bedside, rubbing his back comfortably. "Isabelle's not a malicious or vindictive person."

"I know." Matt smiled softly up at Miriam before returning his gaze to Molly. "I can't hear exactly what's going on, but it sounds like Molly's okay. I just hope after they're finished doing whatever they're doing, Iz will know how to let Molly go." He shrugged. "I certainly don't know if I can go back in there and pull Molly out like last time."

"If you have to, you will." Miriam kissed the top of his head as Maya eyed them jealously from the corner of the room. "I have faith in you."

"Thanks." Matt wrapped an arm around Miriam's waist, resting his head against her stomach as he squeezed Molly's hand gently.

Mohinder watched them with an amused twinkle in his eye. "It appears that the two of you have kissed and made up after your little spat earlier?"

Miriam nodded. "Like I could stay mad at him."

Matt snorted. "She tried to stay mad, actually. I didn't let her. SOMEONE convinced me to do a little yelling."

"Glad I could help someone's love life." Mohinder quipped.

Miriam sighed. "Yeah, I overheard you breaking up with Elle." As Mohinder stared at her, she smirked. "The tranquilizer they gave me right before I got here? I sort of didn't let all of it into my IV. I used telekinesis to turn off the IV before all of it could get in, so I could hear everything that was going on, but I couldn't really react or respond to it for about an hour, so I heard you breaking up with Elle in my room."

"So you finally severed the ties huh?" Matt nodded as Mohinder shrugged. "I wondered how long it would take you to do it."

"Her treatment of you while she was bringing you back was the last straw." Mohinder sat on Molly's other side, watching her face. "I realized that she'll never grow up and she'll never change."

"You know, I listened to her talk for about thirty minutes or so after you left. She thought I was out and wouldn't really hear her, but I did." Miriam sighed. "She talked about her life and how she's been used over and over by men. I felt kind of bad for her in the end. It didn't stop me from smacking her down in my attempt to get out, but I still felt pretty bad for her."

"Don't bother." Mohinder muttered.

"Well, I DO bother, okay?" Miriam shrugged. "I remember when Juss, Iz and I were tested years ago, back when Bob harmed Iz, that Mom was really worried about Bob testing her. They kept making these references to him not doing to her what he did to Elle. I remember reading Bennet's mind and finding out that Bob messed up Elle's mind when he had HER tested years ago. Granted, it's really no excuse for the way she acts, but still-"

"-You can't be serious, Baby." Matt stared up at Miriam. "Are you actually saying you feel SORRY for that pile of crazy?"

"Yes, I do. She's been sheltered here all of her life, forced to be an agent for her father for years. That alone has to mess someone up. Having her mind screwed up by her father just added to it, not to mention the abuse she dealt with from the hands of some Thompson guy."

"Thompson?" Matt and Mohinder both asked together. Matt frowned. "What's Thompson got to do with it?"

"Apparently, until he died last year, they had something going on. He used her for sex and she offered it willingly, for the most part. He used her though. Let's just say that from what she said, his favorite past time with her was sex in a rather uncomfortable place, and I'm not talking about the back of a Volvo here." As Matt and Mohinder stared at her, she rolled her eyes. "Think about it. Just, think. I'm not going to say exactly what he did, because I don't know how much Molly can hear and I don't think she needs THAT much of an education this early in life. " Mohinder and Matt stared at each other for a moment, then gasped and nodded with understanding.

"Yikes." Matt shook his head. "I knew Thompson was a twisted guy, but-" he shuddered "-the idea of him and Elle together-"

"-it explains a lot." Mohinder rubbed his eyes as his neck turned red.

Miriam raised an eyebrow at Mohinder. "I think there's a story there."

"A story I'll never tell, whether Molly's lying here or not." Mohinder looked away, his blush deepening.

"And on that note, I'm going to get you guys some coffee." Miriam leaned down to Matt, kissing him softly. "You take it black, right?" He nodded. She turned to Mohinder. "You?"

"I'll make some chai tea later. I'm not much for coffee." Mohinder smiled at her. "But thank you for offering."

"It's the least I can do." Miriam kissed Matt again before leaving the room. Maya watched her for a moment, then got up and followed her as she searched the hallways until she found a break room. Miriam turned as Maya walked into the room behind her. "Felt like some coffee too?"

Maya's eyes narrowed as she leaned against the door. "You're with Detective Parkman."

Miriam frowned as she turned away, pouring two cups of coffee. "Yeah. Matt and I are together. He's in love with me."

"And you?" Maya asked.

Miriam smiled softly. "I love him too." As Maya huffed angrily, Miriam turned back to her. "Look, Matt told me that you have a crush on him and that Molly tried to set the two of you up together but-"

"-Detective Parkman is a good man." Maya spat out.

"I know." Miriam nodded. "He's wonderful."

"And he has a good heart!" Maya glared at her. "If you're using him-"

"-I'm not." Miriam turned back to Maya, holding the cups in her hand. "I get that you're protective of him and I understand that you're feeling pretty pissed off and jealous right now but I'm not using him. I love him very much."

"He deserves a woman that doesn't fight with him, or make him feel bad. I heard you two say that you'd fought earlier."

"That's how relationships go sometimes. You fight, it happens. I have a temper and I fly off the handle. It comes with being a redhead, unfortunately. I said some things to Matt that weren't right, they were totally uncalled for and I apologized. I love him, Maya. I'm not going to hurt him or use him. I know very well how good and wonderful he is."

"You'd better not." Maya sneered.

"Well, if this presentation of 'Jealousy Theater' is over now, I'd like to get back to the man that I love and give him his coffee before it gets cold." Miriam stepped past Maya, gasping for a moment as their arms brushed. "Whoa!" She turned to Maya, her eyes wide. "And Bob wanted ME locked up for being too dangerous! How in the hell are you walking the streets with THAT power?"

"You know?" Maya gasped.

"Yeah. Thanks to that little brush-by, I have it too now." Miriam sighed. "Well, I guess I won't be watching _Terms of Endearment_ anymore. I have a feeling that if I get weepy, everyone's going to pay in a big way."

"You're like HIM! SYLAR!" Maya spat. "You have too many powers and you constantly get more."

"There's a difference," Miriam returned the glare "I'm not a serial killer." She smirked as she read Maya's mind. "Nor have I fucked one. Yeah, you got it on like Donkey Kong with Sylar, didn't you? And while your brother's dead body cooled in the next room. That's nice. I can see why you think you'd have a chance with Matt." Maya's eyes widened, then narrowed again angrily. "And at least I haven't killed anyone with my powers yet. Unlike some people, I can actually CONTROL what I do. I have a feeling that your deceased sister-in-law can't say the same for YOU, though." Smirking, Miriam walked away as Maya glared at her.

"Puta." She whispered.

"Back at'cha Honey!" Miriam called to her behind her back.

* * *

Isabelle's 'World' 

Molly giggled as she flew through the air in a swing, suspended from a branch of a large tree in the middle of the backyard. Isabelle smiled as she pushed her, watching Molly swing back and forth. "So you come here ALL the time?" Molly asked.

"I try to, whenever I can." Isabelle nodded. "Whenever things get to be too overwhelming out there, I just come here to regroup and relax."

"And you used to bring your Mom here too?"

"Yeah. Not the way I brought you, but I did used to bring her here a lot. Sometimes she'd push me in the swing and sometimes we'd just walk around together, work on the gardens and just talk. We had great talks." Isabelle smiled sadly. "I miss that."

"I miss my parents too, Sylar killed them." Molly stopped the swing and turned to Isabelle. "He's there with you and your sister."

"I know." Isabelle smirked. "He actually thought he could get the upper hand with me. He couldn't. I showed him his nightmares, his worst fears and he curled up into a ball and cried like a baby." She sighed and shook her head. "I hated doing that, though. His life? It wasn't so great from what I can tell. His mom was apparently pretty bonkers."

"It doesn't give him the right to kill people though." Molly said softly.

"No, it doesn't." Isabelle shook her head. "And he's killed many, many people. He does it to be 'special'. He's like a sad, scared little boy. He wants acceptance, he wants friends, he wants to be special and important, he just doesn't know how to do it right." Isabelle stared off into the gardens. "There's something else about him too, I just can't figure it out. I see it when I look in his eyes."

"What do you think it is?" Molly asked.

"I'm not sure. I think he's supposed to be important, important to ME, but I simply can't figure out why." She sighed. "But I'll figure it out eventually."

"Maybe." Molly looked around. "This place is so pretty. Does it ever rain in here?"

"Not unless I make it and I don't like rain very much. It's very disorganized." Isabelle turned to Molly. "So are Miriam and Matt with you? Are they okay?"

"They're fine." Molly nodded. "They're worried about you and Justine. That's why they asked me to find you both. Apparently Miriam made some kind of deal with Mr. Bishop."

"Mr. Bishop is a very bad man. Miriam shouldn't trust him." Isabelle muttered.

"I guess, but she made a deal anyway. She and Matt are scared that Sylar's going to hurt you and Justine."

"He won't. I won't let him." Isabelle smiled mysteriously. "I know how to stop him if I have to."

* * *

Primatech Facility: Hartsdale, New York 

Miriam sat beside Matt, rubbing his back as he sipped his coffee, watching over Molly. "She's going to be okay. Isabelle's not going to hurt her." She whispered.

"I know, I know, I just wished she would wake up. What do they have to talk about, anyway?" Matt shook his head. "I should have had you do the locating after you hugged Molly."

"Yeah, you're right." Miriam nodded. "If I had done it, maybe Izzie would have recognized me and left me alone."

"We'll remember that for next time." Matt murmured sleepily, his head on Miriam's shoulder.

"What do you mean 'next time'?" Miriam chuckled. "Baby seriously, what are the odds?"

Matt laughed with her as Mohinder sat across the bed from them. "Lady's got a point, doesn't she?" Matt kissed her cheek as Maya returned to the room.

Mohinder frowned, noticing as Maya returned to the room, sulking. "Are you alright?"

Maya glared at Miriam's back for a moment, then shrugged. "Si, I'm just worried about Molly."

"She'll be fine." Mohinder nodded. "If she doesn't wake up on her own soon, we'll figure out a way to do it ourselves."

Matt leaned forward, kissing Molly's cheek. "Come on Molly. Girl talk time is over, okay? Come back. Wake up, Sweetie." He leaned back, resting his head on Miriam's shoulder and frowning as he overheard Maya's thoughts.

_Rude woman.__ She's not good enough for him. She'll hurt him. I'll prove that she's not right, not good enough. _Matt turned and stared at Maya as she glared at Miriam's back. She finally caught him watching her and looked away, blushing as she remembered his power. He turned back to Mohinder, shrugging and shaking his head for a moment before returning his attention to Molly.

* * *

Isabelle's 'World' 

Isabelle sat down in the grass beside Molly, looking around at their surroundings. "So do you ever bring your sisters here?" Molly asked.

"Oh no!" Isabelle shook her head quickly. "Absolutely not! I love my sisters, but they wouldn't understand this, not the way Mom did. Besides," Isabelle giggled "they'd probably try to rearrange things and that would not work for me. I like everything just the way it is."

Molly nodded, grinning. "I've noticed." She looked around, frowning.

"What is it?" Isabelle asked.

"It's Matt. I can hear him. He sounds pretty worried about me." She turned to Isabelle. "Your father trapped me like this once, but it was in a nightmare, not a pretty place like this."

"Oh, you're not trapped here at all. I just put you here when I realized you were looking for me. I didn't know who you were and I wanted to find out what was going on. You can leave whenever you like." Isabelle nodded.

"How?" Molly asked. She turned as Isabelle pointed to a shed and noticed a bright light glowing from under the door. "What's that?"

"The way out. You go through there and you wake up again, simple as pie. I created it so Mom could leave whenever she felt like it." She shrugged. "I had to let her in, but she could always let herself right back out. You can too if you like."

Molly sighed as she stood up. "I probably should go. I don't know how long I've been here and I've probably scared Matt and Mohinder half to death by now."

"Okay." Isabelle nodded sadly as Molly stood. She got up and gave Molly a quick hug. "Tell everyone that I'm okay and that Justine's okay. Sylar's been good so far, I haven't let him be otherwise. He even saved Justine when she got sick from touching him. He put her in the bathtub with cool water and brought her fever down. She's feeling fine now." Isabelle giggled.

"What is it?" Molly asked.

"You're a little young to know for now." Isabelle shrugged. "Heck, I'M too young to know, but living with twins that have that kind of odd connection, you really have no choice but to go ahead and just learn things whether you're ready or not." At Molly's perplexed look, Isabelle smiled. "Let Miriam and Matt know that Justine knows what they did earlier and they might want to let her actually sleep tonight. It was kind of embarrassing for her to have that happen in front of Sylar." Isabelle smirked. "Actually, I think they're developing crushes on each other. It's kind of weird."

"VERY weird! How could ANYONE have a crush on Sylar! I think of him as the boogeyman!"

"Trust me, he's not the boogeyman. He has his own serious problems and demons he'll have to contend with one day, but he's not the boogeyman. He's just messed up. I want to try and fix him, but I don't know how." Isabelle sighed. "He may be beyond fixing, actually."

"I think so." Molly grimaced. "You didn't see what he did to my parents."

"I did. I saw it in his mind. He has his own boogeymen, trust me on that." Isabelle reached the door with Molly and turned to her. "So they know where we are?" Molly nodded. "Where are THEY?"

"Hartsdale." Molly whispered.

"Huh." Isabelle shook her head. "Boy were we about to go the wrong way! We were going to go to Odessa. I'll let Justine know where they really are, but I doubt she'll believe me. Does Miriam have your power now?"

"I don't know." Molly shrugged.

"If she touched you, she has it. Tell her to keep looking for us and she'll find us eventually. I won't pull her here like I did with you." Isabelle nodded at the door. "Whenever you're ready."

"Okay." Molly turned to Isabelle and hugged her. "I'll see you soon."

"If I'm not this chatty when you see me in person, or if I pull away when you hug me, don't get offended, okay?"

"I won't." Molly smiled up at her. "It was nice to meet you, Isabelle."

"It was nice meeting you too, Molly." She watched as Molly walked through the door, closing it behind her.

* * *

Primatech Facility: Hartsdale, New York 

Molly gasped and opened her eyes, looking around as Mohinder, Matt, Miriam and Maya all sighed with relief. "She's awake." Mohinder smiled at her. "You had us worried."

"No need, I was with Isabelle." Molly turned to Matt and Miriam. "She says that she and Justine are fine and that Sylar's behaving himself. She's sort of making him."

"Making him behave how?" Miriam asked.

"She said that when he tried to hurt them, she showed him his worst fears. She said he started crying and curled up into a ball when that happened." Molly nodded.

"Holy crap!" Miriam shook her head. "I've really got to start practicing the other aspects of Isabelle's power. Why didn't I think of that when we were beating the crap out of each other in the alley behind my bar?"

"You own a bar?" Maya asked. Miriam nodded as Maya smirked and looked away. _Probably a drunk._

Miriam rolled her eyes and turned back to Molly. "What else did she say?"

"She said that Justine got very sick when Sylar touched her, but that he helped her get better. He put her in a cold bath and brought her fever down." Molly frowned. "She also said that Justine needs rest so you two should let her sleep tonight. She said that it was very embarrassing for her to-" she shook her head "-I don't know what, Isabelle didn't say, she said I was too young to know, but she said that it happened in front of Sylar and Justine was embarrassed."

"Oh lord." Miriam and Matt glanced at each other then looked away, blushing.

"And she said that she can handle Sylar just fine, so don't worry. She wants to fix him."

"Oh, he'll get fixed REALLY well once I get a hold of him." Miriam stood up, sighing. "So, we're heading off to Portland?"

"Yes! When do we go to Portland?" Maya asked.

Miriam turned to Maya, raising an eyebrow. "I don't recall inviting you on the trip."

"I'm going, invited or not."

Miriam smirked. "Oh, I think not-"

"-I deserve vengeance-"

"-stand in line, Sugar-"

"-he killed MY BROTHER!" Maya shrieked.

"Sorry. Two sisters trump one brother. You're staying here." Miriam quipped.

"I most certainly will not." Maya spat. "I am going and there's nothing you can do about it!"

"No?" Miriam crossed her arms in front of her chest as Matt and Mohinder exchanged worried looks. "What are you going to do, start crying about it? Honey, I can make you quit that crying or I can give you something to REALLY cry about. You don't like me, I get it. I slipped in out of nowhere and ended up with the man you wanted for yourself. That's life. Sometimes it sucks. Sometimes you don't get the man you really want. Now, you're going to stay here either voluntarily, or I'll go into Mr. Bishop's office and demand that he MAKE you stay here and trust me, right now I've got him by the cojones, he'll do what I tell him to. If I want to hear a running mental commentary on how evil and rude and bitchy and drunk I am, I'll let you tag along. Since I want none of those things, your ass is staying here so deal with it!"

Maya turned and sat down, muttering angrily in Spanish as Miriam turned and sat beside Matt. "Well, I guess you've had your say then, haven't you?" He sighed.

"Yes I have." She glanced at Mohinder. "And no, there won't be a hot girl-fight happening any time soon." She giggled as Mohinder blushed and looked away. "Busted. So very busted."

"I was kind of waiting for the same thing." Matt winked at her.

Miriam rolled her eyes. "Men."

"So," Mohinder cleared his throat "who goes to Portland?"

Miriam sat back, thinking for a moment. "The entire Roger team doesn't need to go just to watch me give Sylar a smack-down before I get my sisters. I'm figuring me, Noah, Elle and Matt."

"I'm back on the team?" Matt grinned.

"Please, like I can go a day without you around." Miriam winked. She turned back to Mohinder. "I figure we'll go to Portland and if they've already left, start tracking them from there. Once we catch them, I'll take Sylar out and return with Justine and Iz. Afterwards, we'll collect you and the Petrelli brothers and head off to Canada to intercept Roger."

"Sounds like a plan." Mohinder nodded. "And when were you planning on leaving?"

Miriam sighed. "It's probably too late to start out tonight. Tomorrow morning? Give you and Matt a chance to hang with Molly for a while and make sure she's okay first?" She turned to Molly, smiling. "I'm glad to see you awake again, Honey."

"Thanks." Molly grinned. "Isabelle's pretty cool. She didn't put me in a nightmare like hers and Matt's dad did. We were in a fun place. She's really smart and funny."

"I know." Miriam nodded. "I'm going to let YOU get some actual sleep." She leaned over, kissing Molly on the forehead. "I think I'm going to do that too. It's been a pretty crazy day."

"Yeah it has." Matt stood and kissed Miriam. "I'll come to bed later."

"But we're just going to be sleeping. You heard Isabelle's message, Justine needs sleep."

"Damn. I know." Matt sighed.

As Miriam turned to leave, Molly sat up and turned to her. "Miriam?" She turned to Molly. "Isabelle said that you have my power now?" Miriam nodded. "She said that she won't trap you if you try to look for her. She didn't mean to trap me really, she just wanted to know who was looking for her and why. She said that they thought you were in Odessa, so they're going there. She's going to try to tell them to go to Portland instead, but she doesn't know if they'll listen to her, so she said you can track them with my power and catch up to them."

"Okay." Miriam smiled at Molly. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Molly settled back on the bed and yawned.

"Pretty late, huh?" Matt asked her. "It's an hour past your bedtime right now, actually."

"I know." Molly murmured sleepily. "I was out, but I wasn't sleeping, not really."

"So where did Isabelle take you?" Mohinder asked.

"Her world. She has her own special dream world where she goes. It's like a daydream, but way more detailed. It's her mom's house in Maine." Molly closed her eyes, her voice getting fainter as she began to drift off. "It's always sunny and warm and the garden has all kinds of pretty flowers. They smell good too. It's very organized, just the way Isabelle likes it." She trailed off, drifting away to sleep.

"Sounds lovely." Mohinder nodded.

"Sounds very lovely." Matt kissed Molly's cheek as he stood up. He turned to Maya. "I'm sure that Mohinder can wrangle a bed to put for you in here if you'd like."

"Thank you." Maya nodded. "She's not good enough for you, Detective Parkman. She's-"

Matt held up his hand, silencing her. "-I love her, Maya. It's been a very long time since I've felt this way about someone. I know you two haven't had a good start with each other and odds are, you could find yourselves butting heads from here on out, but Miriam is a good person. She might seem bitchy, she might lose her temper, but underneath that cranky, combative exterior is a person with one of the biggest hearts I've ever seen. If you could see her with her sisters, if you could see her when she drops her guard and just lets herself be, you'd see why I've fallen for her so quickly and why she's so important to me. She's my person and I'd appreciate it if you respected that. You don't have to like her, but please respect her for me." Maya looked away, shaking her head sadly as Matt turned to Mohinder. "Since Molly's out, I'm going to crash too. It's been a very long day."

"I second that." Mohinder rubbed his eyes. "I was going to study the blood samples that Elle brought back from the Pratt's home on Bainbridge Island, but I think I'll wait until morning. I need to get some sleep as well." He turned to Maya. "I'll see about having two more beds brought in for the two of us. We'll stay close to Molly tonight in case she needs us." Maya nodded quietly. "Goodnight, Matt."

"Goodnight Mohinder. Goodnight Maya." Matt turned to leave.

"Goodnight, Detective Parkman." Maya said sadly.

Matt made his way down the hall to Miriam's room and walked inside, closing the door behind him. He quickly undressed in the dark and slid under the covers beside Miriam, spooning against her. "You're naked." He whispered.

"So are you." Miriam smiled softly as he kissed her shoulder. "I thought you'd stay longer with Molly."

"She drifted back off to sleep after you left. It was her bedtime." Matt's hands stroked Miriam's bare belly. "You know, it's not a good idea for you to be sleeping naked beside me. You could give me all kinds of ideas."

"Put them on ice for now?" Miriam snuggled against him. "I'm exhausted and Justine needs her sleep."

"Stupid twin connection." Matt chuckled. He moved his hands up to wrap around her. "I suppose I'll be a good boy tonight. I had fun earlier."

"We both did." Miriam sighed as she began to doze off. "Crazy day, huh?"

"Insanely crazy." Matt nodded against her shoulder as he joined her in sleep.

* * *

October 5, 2007 

Primatech Facility: Hartsdale, New York

Matt and Miriam cried out together before separating, Miriam rolling off of Matt as he pulled her close, kissing her. "And good morning to you too." He whispered. "I could get used to this."

"Me too." Miriam sighed. "So much for letting Justine get a good night's sleep."

"She did!"

"She's three hours behind us. She just got a three a.m. wake-up call, Honey." Miriam giggled. She sighed happily and stretched. "I'm starving."

"Me too." Matt's hands slid under the covers as Miriam gasped.

"FOR FOOD, MATT!" She laughed softly. "The only thing I've had to eat in well over twenty-four hours was a cup of coffee."

"Damn." Matt sighed. "Same here. I guess we need to get up and see if there's a kitchen around here."

"I know there's a break room. Care to raid the fridge and eat whatever anyone was stupid enough to put in there without their name on it?"

"I'm right behind you!" Matt climbed out of bed with Miriam and pulled his clothes on, watching as she dressed in scrubs. "I need to see if Elle grabbed my suitcase when she snatched me. My clothes are about to be able to stand on their own." He winked at Miriam. "And you-"

"-What about me?" Miriam asked.

"Those scrubs are cute, but they're not you. You should go and threaten Bob with another smack down so he can let you go shopping."

Miriam nodded as she left her room with Matt. "I do need some new leather pants. My last ones got ruined. While I was flying home after fighting Sylar, I sort of crash-landed in the sound."

"Now that's tragic. You without leather pants? That's an image I don't want!" Matt laughed as he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her as they walked.

"I know. I loved those jeans."

"I loved them on you almost as much as I liked them off of you." They rounded a corner and found the break room. Entering, Matt groaned as he spotted Elle sitting at the table, eating a doughnut. "Lovely."

"Hey." Elle pushed the box of doughnuts at them. "I knew we'd have a full house this morning. I sent someone out for doughnuts, it's not much but-"

"-it's wonderful!" Miriam grabbed a doughnut and bit into it, sighing happily. "God, this is almost better than sex." As Matt stared at her she rolled her eyes. "I said 'almost', damn!" She gave a tight smile to Elle. "Thank you."

"Figured you could use it." Elle watched Miriam and Matt as they sat together. "I'm going to go somewhere else, later."

"Hey!" Elle turned as Miriam called out to her. "Pack a bag. You, me, Matt and Noah will be heading for Portland in a few hours to track down Sylar and my sisters."

"Me?" Elle's eyes widened as she shuffled her feet. "You want ME there?" Miriam nodded. Elle tentatively smiled at her. "Thank you."

"Welcome. I think you might be useful there." Miriam smiled kindly at her. "By the way, did you happen to grab Matt's bag out of his car when you grabbed him?"

Elle nodded. "Yeah. I think it's still in the van, but I did. I'm not completely clueless."

"No. You're not." Miriam watched as Elle smiled again and left the room.

"What was that about?" Matt frowned. "You trying to become besties with Elle?"

"Something tells me that girl needs friends. It could do her some good to not only do that, but to also get away from her jackass father for a few days. I think if someone showed her a bit of kindness instead of just ordering her around, she might find herself changing for the better."

Matt sighed as he ate a doughnut. "I hate to tell you this, but Mohinder's been trying to be nice to her for six months. She hasn't changed a bit in that time."

"She needs a friend, not a fuck-buddy. That's where Mohinder screwed the pooch." Miriam kissed Matt on the cheek. "Just go along with it. I think if you showed her kindness AND got her away from her dad, she'd be a better person."

"I'll go along with it, but I'm warning you now, she won't change." Matt grinned at Miriam. "And you called ME a Boy Scout! Look who's trying to earn a merit badge now!"

"Oh hush!" Miriam threw part of her doughnut at him before grabbing another from the box.

* * *

Portland, Oregon 

Justine stepped out of the bathroom, fully dressed as Isabelle finished packing her bag. "Ready?" Isabelle nodded softly as Sylar walked into the room. "Get a new car for us?"

"Yep." Sylar nodded. "So we're ready to go?"

"As soon as we get loaded up." Justine reached down to grab the bags just as Sylar did. As their hands brushed, Justine jumped back, glancing at him. "I can carry our stuff, you know."

Sylar shrugged, looking away. "I'll do it." He grabbed the bags quickly and left the room as Isabelle giggled softly and looked away.

Justine stared at her. "What?" Isabelle shook her head. "Fine." She sighed. She reached for Isabelle's hand and left the motel room.

They walked to a car in the darkness as Sylar finished loading the bags in the trunk and got inside. Sylar climbed behind the wheel. "Odessa here we come."

"Hartsdale." Isabelle said softly.

Justine turned around to stare at Isabelle. "What did you say?"

"Mir-Mir and Matt. They're in Hartsdale, but they're coming here."

"That's not right, Isabelle. They were kidnapped by the company, remember?" Justine nodded.

"If they were being held against their will, why did they-" Sylar shrugged "-you know? Yesterday afternoon?"

Justine frowned. "I don't know. Maybe they're in a cell together?"

"Yeah. Right." Sylar muttered. "Because the company's just that nice to put two lovers together to boink like bunnies."

"Mir-Mir made a deal." Isabelle said softly. "She knows where we are. She's coming to get us."

"What KIND of deal?" Justine frowned. "And how do you know this?"

"Molly said so." Isabelle nodded. "Molly said that a bad thing is coming and Bob wants us to help stop it. Mir-Mir made a deal so we don't have to run anymore. She's coming to get us to help catch the bad thing." She turned to Sylar. "And to stop you."

"Stop me from what?" Sylar groaned as Isabelle raised an eyebrow. "Great. She wants to fight again."

"I told her-" Isabelle started to speak and stopped as Sylar shook his head.

"-MOLLY told you all of this? When?"

"When I saw her in my world yesterday. She tried to find me, so I put her there to talk for a minute."

Sylar and Justine exchanged puzzled looks. "Well?" Justine asked.

"If Miriam's made a deal, I doubt Bob will uphold it in the end. I could see Mohinder being forced to make Molly tell Isabelle about Hartsdale to lure us there and trap us. I think Odessa's still the best place to go. They won't be expecting us there."

Justine nodded. "You're the driver. It's your call."

"We're going to go ahead and try Odessa." Sylar turned the car onto the highway. "If Miriam is free and can track us, she can find us on the road."

"I said you wouldn't believe me." Isabelle sighed.

* * *

Primatech Facility: Hartsdale, New York 

Matt walked into Miriam's room, nodding appreciatively at the jeans and tee shirt she pulled on. "Nice. Where'd you get it?"

"Apparently they have some clothes around here. Elle found them for me." Miriam grabbed a leather duster. "And she found this too."

"Ah, something in leather. NOW you look like my girl." Matt kissed her. "Ready to go?"

Miriam nodded. "Ready and willing." She grabbed Matt's hand and walked down the hall with him to a garage. Noah, Elle, Mohinder, Molly and Bob waited for them. "Team's assembled?" She turned to Bob. "Where's that deal? I want it signed before I leave." Bob sighed and handed her a document. She read over it slowly as Bob rolled his eyes.

"It's all in there." He muttered.

"Just making sure you've dotted all of your i's and crossed all of your t's." She nodded and signed the paper, tucking it in her coat as Bob reached for it. "Oh hell to the no! This stays with me."

"Fine." Bob grumbled. He handed Miriam, Matt, Noah and Elle envelopes. "Your plane tickets are there. You'll land in Portland. A rental agency has an SUV waiting for you. There's also a company credit card in each envelope for business expenses."

"Lovely." Miriam turned to Elle. "After we bag and tag, care to go hit a few hundred malls with me and my sisters?"

Before a smiling Elle could speak, Bob cleared his throat. "It's for BUSINESS EXPENSES!"

"Fine." Miriam rolled her eyes before turning back to Elle. "Screw him, we're going shopping later." She whispered as Elle tried not to laugh.

Matt turned to Molly and hugged her. "Take care and try not to get into any more dream worlds while I'm gone?"

"I won't. Be careful." She turned and hugged Miriam. "I'm glad I met you."

"You'll be seeing a lot more of me, trust." Miriam kissed her cheek. "I'm not leaving Matt any time soon." She whispered.

"Good. He needs a girlfriend." Molly whispered. "I was starting to worry about him."

Miriam winked at Molly before climbing into a van with Noah, Elle and Matt. Before the driver could start the engine, Miriam rolled her eyes. "Hang on!" She turned and walked to the back of the van, opening it quickly to reveal Maya crouched behind the seat. "OUT!"

"I have to go." Maya glared at her. "I have to have my vengeance."

"Right. Whatever. Take your vengeance later on your own time, okay? Besides, we're not driving all the way to Oregon. This van's just taking us to the airport. I mean honestly, what were you going to do, fold yourself into a suitcase and hope no one wondered why it felt so heavy?" Maya climbed out of the van, her eyes flashing fury as Miriam slammed the van doors and climbed back inside. She stuck her head out as Maya sulked angrily. "I'll be sure to get a few extra smacks in on Sylar's head for you, okay?"

"Bitch." Maya muttered.

"HEARD THAT!" Miriam yelled as the van pulled away.

* * *

Medford, Oregon 

They stopped for lunch at a diner, eating as Sylar studied a road map. "Where do you think would be a good place to stop for the night?" Justine asked.

Sylar shrugged. "We're making good time on the interstate, but I think I'll be too tired to go on by Sacramento at the furthest." He frowned and rubbed his eyes.

"If it's that difficult for you, I already told you I could drive." Justine shrugged.

"Right." Sylar snorted. "I can see it now, actually. You start driving around the same time your twin decides she wants to get her freak on with Parkman again. You'd end up being too busy to do anything but moan and squirm you'd end up having a wreck!" He shook his head. "I'll drive, thank you."

"Fine. Don't say I didn't offer." Justine finished her meal and turned to Isabelle. "Your food okay?" Isabelle nodded, pouting. "Oh Iz, we already told you why we're going to Odessa."

"Doesn't matter. Miriam will find us." Isabelle shrugged. "She's already looking."

* * *

Portland, Oregon 

As soon as they landed, they collected their bags and obtained their rental SUV, quickly driving to the address Molly had given them the day before. Miriam groaned as she walked out of the motel's office, shaking her head as she got back into the vehicle. "They left ten hours ago at about five in the morning." She slumped in her seat. "Shit."

"We figured they'd be on the move by now." Noah nodded as he handed her a road map. "Track them."

Miriam closed her eyes and called on Molly's power, quickly locating them. "They're in Red Bluff, California. They're still on the move."

"Let's go. They've got a ten-hour head start." Noah started the van and pulled onto the highway. He glanced over at Elle. "Take a nap, you're going to take over when I get tired."

"We're not stopping?" Elle asked.

"Nope." Noah shook his head. "They've got a ten-hour head-start, like I said. We're going to drive in shifts, only pulling over for bathroom breaks and meals. We're not stopping at a hotel until we're all together, got it?"

"Heil. " Elle sighed.

As Miriam chewed on a fingernail, Matt rubbed her thigh. "They're still okay and they're going to continue to be okay. Just keep telling yourself that."

"I do and I will." Miriam nodded. "I just need to get to them. I need my sisters, Matt."

"I know." He leaned over and kissed her cheek.

* * *

Primatech Facility: Hartsdale, New York 

Mohinder frowned as he read the genetic results from the blood samples Elle had obtained on Bainbridge Island. "This can't be right." He murmured. Shaking his head, he walked into Bob's office, setting the tests down on his desk. "Bob, something's wrong here."

"What?" Bob studied the tests, his expression suddenly growing grim. "Oh. It shows that, does it?"

Mohinder's eyes widened. "YOU KNEW?" Mohinder sat in a chair. "According to these samples, there was one person in that home related to the two others. That means that Sylar is related by blood to one of the Pratt sisters."

"Of course I knew." Bob sighed as he took off his glasses. "Maury Parkman knew that powers were genetic. He got this idea years ago that the more children he had, the more super-powered children would be born to continue to add to the population. Adam Munroe and Daniel Linderman actually put that idea into his head. He got quite good at seducing women, using his powers to convince them that they simply HAD to have him. Afterwards, he'd convince them that they dreamed it all and go on their merry way. He always chose married women and always made sure that either they or their husbands had dark hair and eyes so no one would question paternity when the child was born. One of those women that he seduced and successfully conceived with was Virginia Gray."

"Bloody hell." Mohinder groaned. "You're telling me that Sylar is Isabelle's brother?"

"And Matt's." Bob nodded. "Daniel kept tabs on Sylar throughout his life along with another child that belonged to Maury, monitoring them. That is why Sylar was able to continue his rampage as long as he did practically unencumbered. Daniel kept throwing road blocks in the way of the agencies that investigated his murders, hampering their ability to catch him and letting Sylar continue to kill and collect powers."

"Why?" Mohinder asked.

"I have no idea." Bob frowned. "I know he and Adam used to have a plan cooked up together, but I never knew what it was and I thought they'd quit after Adam was locked away. Apparently Daniel continued with Adam's plans on his own."

"Matt has no idea that Sylar is his brother, does he?"

"No." Bob shook his head.

"I WILL tell him, Bob. He deserves to know." Mohinder stood and started to leave, turning back to Bob. "You said that Linderman kept tabs not only on Sylar, but another as well?" Bob nodded silently. "And where is this child?"

"She died about a year ago." Bob stared up at Mohinder. "Her name was Sarah Ellis, but you knew her as Eden McCain."


	13. Chapter 13: Dance with the Devil

Chapter Thirteen: Dance with the Devil

October 5, 2007

Davis, California

"I'm beat." Sylar stretched out on his bed in the hotel room and closed his eyes. "Food! I need food!" He snapped his fingers at Justine.

Justine glared at him as she set her suitcase on the bed, Isabelle following suit. "I know you're not snapping your fingers at me."

"Food. Sleep. I need them, Woman!" Sylar lifted his head, opening one eye. "You do realize I saved your life yesterday."

"Before or after you broke into my home and attacked me and my sister?" Justine quipped.

"Feed me?" Sylar gave her a pitiful look. "Please?"

"Gee, can you trust me to drive without having a wreck? You never know when Miriam and Matt might decide to get frisky again." Justine smirked.

"Wreck it if you want, it's not my damn car. Please get food." Sylar pleaded.

"Fine." Justine dug around in her pocket, pulling out a wad of money. "What do you want?"

"I haven't had kung-pao in forever." Sylar nodded. "Or those cheese won-ton things that Chinese restaurants make. Or those cool spring rolls or-"

"-Chinese. I get it." Justine sighed. "How ironic that I'm probably going to order something called the 'Happy Family' meal." She turned to Isabelle. "You gonna be okay here?" Isabelle nodded, her eyes never leaving Sylar. "Okay. I'll be back soon." She kissed Isabelle on the cheek and turned to leave.

"I don't get a kiss on the cheek." Sylar joked.

"You'll get a fist on the cheek if you don't shut it." Justine retorted as she walked out of the hotel room.

"Yeah, right." He glanced over at Isabelle as she studied him. "She wants me, I can tell." Isabelle raised an eyebrow at him. "What?" Isabelle turned away, trying not to giggle as she pulled her checkerboard out and began to set it up on a table, studying the board. Sylar sat up, watching her. "Do you ever actually PLAY that game, or do you just stare at the board all night?" Isabelle ignored him as Sylar got up and sat down across from her. "You know, I grew up in New York City." Isabelle gave him a baleful 'duh' look before returning her attention to the board. "There were a lot of chess and checker boards set up in Central Park." Sylar smiled softly. "When we could get away from my mom, my dad took me down there a lot. He was a chess freak to the nth degree. I thought the game was okay, but I loved checkers. I beat a lot of the old farts down there playing that game." Sylar moved a checkers piece forward. "Your move, Iz."

Isabelle looked up at him, a smile playing on her lips before she turned her attention back to the board.

* * *

Medford, Oregon

Noah stretched his legs as he ate dinner in the backseat beside Elle. He glanced over at Matt as he drove the SUV. "Drives good, doesn't it?"

Matt nodded at Noah in the rearview mirror. "Drives fine." He turned to Miriam. "Got another bead on them?"

Miriam shrugged as she studied a road map. "They've stopped for the night, apparently. They're at a hotel in Davis, California."

"That far?"

"Far enough." Miriam ran her fingers through her hair. "God, I miss them."

"I know." Matt sighed as he patted her knee. "Once I get tired, it'll be your turn to drive. Knowing you, you'll probably break every speed limit between us and them trying to get there."

"Probably." Miriam grinned. "And I'll just find a way to confuse any troopers that pull me over."

"Been trying to figure out how to do that, huh?" Matt smirked. "Just be nice okay? We're almost in California and I was a cop here."

"You were suspended here." Miriam reminded him.

"True. If we end up tracking them into L.A. confuse the hell out of anyone in a uniform that you see."

Miriam smiled softly at him. _I already knew how to mess with people's minds and get them to do what I wanted. I've been doing THAT since high school. This is another aspect that I've been able to use for years, at least Justine and I have been able to do it. Can you hear me?_

Matt glanced over at her, smiling. _You using telepathy, you little sneak?_ He grinned returning his gaze to the road as Miriam nodded. _Mind telling me why we can communicate this way, but I can't read your mind without feedback?_

_I have no idea._ Miriam shrugged silently. _Justine and I figured it out soon after Isabelle manifested at eighteen months old. We've always gotten feedback from trying to read each other, but telepathy was easy. I guess it causes us to open our minds, maybe? We don't block the mental power so we don't get the feedback?_

Matt nodded. _I can see that happening. _He glanced at Noah in the rearview mirror. _You and Justine ever do a three way? _At Miriam's shocked expression he sighed. _NOT LIKE THAT! I mean did you ever try to have a three-way conversation telepathically?_ Miriam shook her head. _Let's try it now. _He glanced at Noah in the rearview again. _Can you hear me, Noah?_ Noah looked up at him, frowning as he nodded. Matt glanced over at Miriam. _Can you hear me talking to him? _Miriam nodded at him. Matt grinned. _Awesome, it's time for the three of us to have a conversation, just the three of us without __Little__ Miss __Buzzkill__ finding out what's going on. Noah? Have you and Miriam had any discussions lately?_

Noah nodded, pretending to concentrate on his dinner plate. _We have. Miriam's on board. It's time to bring you further up to speed as well. Peter and Nathan are now involved._

_No shit. They told me about it months ago. Apparently the three of you have this plan to break down Bob, overthrow him?_

Noah sighed. _They have big mouths._

_They only told me, it's not like they're broadcasting it all over New York and I haven't told anyone. I've kept out of it until now, but I have a feeling with Peter and Nathan joining the Roger team once we return to New York that you're all going to kick this into high gear? _Noah nodded. Matt glanced at him again in the rearview. _Well? What's the plan?_

_You'll find out soon enough. We need to have Justine here as well. _Noah turned and stared at Elle for a moment as she set her dinner aside and curled up in the seat beside him, dozing off. _Think we'll be able to get her involved?_

_Maybe._Matt shrugged. _Miriam has a plan in the works to get her on our side, something __about befriending her? Apparently she thinks that if she befriends Elle she'll join up with us against Bob. _He turned to Miriam for a moment. _Have I got that right?_

_Basically._Miriam nodded. _I think if she's treated with kindness for once in her life, maybe she'll become a better person._

_I told her it was a fool's errand._ Matt grimaced.

_I think she's on to something._ Noah nodded with approval at Miriam. _I've been doing the same since I was forced to leave my family. I've been telling her the truth about Bob's experiments on her. She was a normal kid, a sweet one, before Bob altered her mind with his experiments. I think there's still a bit of that old Elle left in there, begging to come out. You've seen the way Bob treats her. He's her father, but he's not a father to her. He treats her as he would any agent, and admonishes her more than others. He rarely praises her when she does a good job, but is always quick to give her unholy hell when she screws up. I think she's having enough of it. I think the more kindness she's shown, in contrast with the way Bob treats her, the more out of her shell she'll come and the more we'll get her on our side. I don't want Bob to __die,__ I want him to lose everything, just as I have. _

Miriam turned and grinned at him. _You're a genius, Noah Bennet._

Noah winked at her as Elle snorted in her sleep and woke up, staring at everyone as they stared straight ahead at the road. "It's too quiet in here, what's going on?" She asked.

"I'm concentrating on the road." Matt sighed.

"Worrying about my sisters." Miriam commented.

"Letting my dinner settle." Noah nodded.

* * *

Davis, California

Justine walked into the hotel room, carrying dinner. She covered a grin as she watched Sylar and Isabelle play checkers, completely engrossed in the game. "Don't bother, she's just going to beat you." She quipped.

"I don't think so." Sylar grinned at Isabelle as he moved another man. "I have her on the ropes. King me."

Isabelle bit her lip in frustration as she placed a man on the one Sylar had just moved, making sure the crown side was up.

"Seriously?" Justine watched the game, her eyes widening. "Holy shit, Iz. I think he's about to beat you."

Isabelle's eyes narrowed as she studied the board, biting her lip harder. Finally, she moved a man and buried her face in her arms as Sylar quickly dispatched the few men she had left on the board. "Dammit." She muttered.

"Language." Justine turned to Sylar, her eyes wide. "No one's beaten Iz at this game in years."

"You're kidding, right?" Sylar shrugged at Isabelle. "You win some, you lose some. That's life. Wanna rematch after dinner?" Isabelle smiled softly and nodded as Sylar began to stack the game pieces up. Isabelle quickly moved his hands away and stacked them herself, lining all of the pieces up just so beside the folded checkerboard.

Justine shrugged. "It's a little OCD of hers. She likes lines and right angles."

"Don't we all? It's just about keeping things neat and in it's place, if that's called having an OCD, then diagnose me right alongside of her." Sylar walked past Justine to the bag of food sitting on the bed. "Kung pao yes!" He turned to Isabelle. "Everything lined up and put away?" Isabelle nodded. "Good. DINNER!" He set the food cartons out on the table before sitting down and digging in as Justine watched him, smiling softly.

Later, after dinner, Sylar and Isabelle continued to play checkers, with both of them alternately beating the other until Justine checked her watch and rubbed her eyes. "Iz, you need to hit the showers and hit the sack." As Isabelle turned to her, her eyes sad, Justine shook her head. "We're setting out early tomorrow, you need sleep." Isabelle sighed and wordlessly got up from the table, grabbing her pajamas before she headed to the bathroom.

"You could have at least let her finish the game. She was actually winning." Sylar stared at the board for a moment, shrugging. "It was her turn. I'll leave it as-is. We'll finish the game in the morning before we leave."

"What's with you?" Justine stretched out on the bed, watching as Sylar climbed into his bed and turned on the television. "A little more than thirty-six hours ago you wanted to kill me, Mir and Iz and then you turned on a dime and went from being a killer, to Florence Nightingale to now acting like Izzie's best buddy. What gives?"

Sylar shook his head. "Shit if I know. I still wouldn't mind getting a hold of the powers the two of you possess, but I know better than to even think about going all ax-murderer on either of you. I have a feeling that Izzie in there would fry my brain if I even considered it."

"True." Justine nodded. "I didn't realize just how powerful Izzie was until you told me."

"You're her sister, you're with her day in and day out, I'm an outsider, a murderous outsider, I guess I could see it better, especially since she gave me a pretty horrific demonstration." Sylar shuddered. "More than one, actually." He glanced at Justine. "I stalked you, you and your sisters at your mother's funeral in March. I was planning on killing the three of you afterwards." He jerked his head towards the bathroom. "I think she sensed me there. She messed with my head there and later when I tried to follow you." Sylar lay back, swallowing hard. "It was one of the scariest things I've ever experienced."

"What did she do?" Justine asked.

"She sent a 'ghost' to me, to scare the hell out of me. My mother." He glanced over at Justine. "I killed her. I didn't mean to, but I did it. Iz sent my mother to me, made me hallucinate her in the cemetery and later on the road while I was chasing you. She was accusing me of being a murderer. I am one." Sylar lay back on the bed as Justine stared at him. "I never even felt too bad about the things I'd done until Izzie started having some of my victims come out and accuse me."

"Why do you kill, Sylar?" Justine asked him softly. "Why is it so important to get all these powers."

"To be special." He whispered.

"Please." Justine snorted. "It doesn't make you special, I should know. Half the time it makes me feel like a freak. Now Miriam would probably agree with you on the whole 'special' bit, but not me. She loves getting new powers, trying them out, storing them away. Me? I'd rather just be normal."

"Why?" Sylar turned to her, studying her.

"To stop the looks." Justine stared at the floor. "When I worked homicide in New Orleans, I was able to read minds, know when someone was lying. I could compel them to tell the truth, to suss out what really happened. I had a hell of a conviction record, but it came at a cost. People were so jealous of me because of it, they always thought I was dirty or just a good-old freak who was able to get people to talk when others couldn't. I didn't ask for these powers, and I didn't ask to continuously acquire more. I'd like to just be good old Justine Pratt and live a normal life, with a normal guy, in a pretty little house with 2.5 kids and a dog and not worry about powers or any of that shit. I'd like to actually know that I'm not going to outlive my husband and any children I have. I'd like to know that I'm going to grow old gracefully and die of old age, but that's not going to happen."

"Miriam said something about being immortal."

"It comes with the regeneration. After a while, our cells continuously regenerate to the point where we stop aging. We got THAT little present from our father. He's over four hundred years old."

"Wow. That would be awesome." Sylar whispered.

"Take it from me, it sucks. Time turns into this long, dark corridor with no end in sight. Be thankful that you'll grow old, be thankful that you can still be injured and will age. Immortality sucks and I wish I'd never met my father. I wish Miriam had never touched him, then me." Justine groaned. "Fuck. I need a drink."

"You and me both." He stared at the bathroom door. "Think she'll be okay in here alone for a while?"

"You kidding me? From what you've told me about her power, I pity the poor asshole who'd try to come in here and mess with her." Justine laughed softly.

"No kidding." Sylar slowly sat up. "This hotel HAS a bar. I saw it downstairs when I was checking us in."

"Hmmm." Justine watched as Isabelle exited the bathroom and climbed into bed. "Iz? You gonna be okay alone in here for an hour or two? I need a drink in the worst way." Isabelle rolled her eyes and nodded sleepily. "Okay. We'll be downstairs in the bar if you need us, okay?" Justine stood up. "First round's on me."

"Please, they're all on you." Sylar smirked as he followed her out of the room. "I can't make GOLD!"

"Hush!" Justine hip-checked him as they left the room and headed down to the bar.

* * *

Outside of Red Bluff, California

Miriam blinked for a moment as she stared at the road, shaking her head. She smacked her lips as Elle stared at her, then began to veer off of the road. "What the fuck?" Elle grabbed the wheel, steering the SUV back onto the road as Matt and Noah woke up in the back. "What's going on?"

Miriam shook her head, pulling over onto the shoulder of the road. "You need to take over, Elle."

"Why? You only started driving an hour ago." Elle glared at her. "You should have slept, idiot!"

"I'm not sleepy." Miriam slurred as she unbuckled her seat belt. "I'm getting drunk."

"Ya, right!" Elle rolled her eyes as Miriam stumbled out of the car. "Oh, good trick there."

"She's not kidding." Noah growled.

Matt climbed out of the car and steadied Miriam as she swayed. "Justine's DRINKING?"

"Apparently quite a lot and very quickly." Miriam stumbled in his arms as he helped her around to the passenger side of the car. "She's drinking to get drunk. I should know, as many times as I've done it." She opened the passenger door and jerked her head to Elle. "I swear I'm not kidding, Elle. Please drive."

Elle narrowed her eyes. "You haven't been drinking, how can you be drunk?"

"Do I have to explain this?" Miriam rolled her eyes. "God, it feels like I'm ALWAYS explaining it."

"She and Justine have a little paranormal connection. She feels Justine's pain and pleasure and vice versa, ditto if one of them is drunk or drugged." Matt steadied Miriam as she swayed. "And if Miriam's this boozed, I can only imagine how drunk Justine is."

"She never could hold her liquor very well. She'll probably barf before long and get some of this out of her system." Miriam sighed. "Please drive, Elle. I'll take over as soon as I sober up."

"Fucking weird!" Elle climbed out of the car and watched as Miriam crawled into the passenger seat with Matt's help. She waited for Matt to get back into his seat and started driving again, giving a glance over at Miriam. "So Justine's drinking? With SYLAR?"

"Apparently." Miriam leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes. "I'm going to kick her ass for this. God, no wonder she's always smashing her hand with a hammer when I do it, I feel like shit."

* * *

Davis, California

_Come my lady  
__Come, come my lady  
__You're__ my butterfly, sugar baby_

_Come my lady  
__Come, come my lady  
__I'll make your legs shake  
__You__ make me go crazy_

Sylar watched as Justine chugged down another drink in their booth. "I thought you said you wanted A drink, not the whole bar's inventory." He laughed as she set down her boilermaker.

"Figured I'd get shit-faced, give Miriam a taste of her own medicine." Justine belched and giggled drunkenly.

"Ah, so Miriam's a bit of a drunk?" Sylar teased.

"Just a little." Justine shrugged. "Not as much lately, though. Ever since she hooked up with Matt before Mom's funeral, she's laid off the drinking and the catting around. Hell, until Matt showed up, I hadn't had a second-hand screaming 'O' in six months. That's one hell of a record for Miriam."

Sylar pursed his lips as he sipped his drink, studying Justine as she ordered another one. Her long red-blond hair fell over her shoulders in thick waves that she brushed away, her blue eyes sparkling. "Probably a record for you, too. Something tells me that when it came to second-hand screaming 'O's you probably gave as good as you got, right?"

Justine giggled softly. "Unlike Miriam though, I had a steady." She accepted the drink that was handed to her and studied it, her eyes sad. "He was my partner in New Orleans, his name was Remy."

"Oh?" Sylar watched her as she looked away, tears in her eyes. "You miss him."

"Yeah." Justine nodded. "He was in love with me and I was falling pretty hard myself."

"Thought you were going to get that normal life? The picket fence, the kids, the dog?"

"I thought I'd try." Justine took a gulp of her boilermaker. "At least for a while before I left. I would have had to leave eventually before he wondered why I didn't age."

"Which was your father's power." Sylar reminded her.

"Yeah, prick. Adam fucking Munroe, the immortal motherfucking mother killer. He killed my mom." Justine swigged her drink, choking back a sob. "Shot her in the back, cold-blooded. Bastard, fucking bastard."

"I'm sorry. At least I can say I sort of killed my mother in self defense." Sylar sipped his drink. "I made the mistake of showing her what I can do. She said I was damned, cursed. She came at me with scissors and when I tried to take them from her, she got stabbed in the struggle."

"I'm sorry." Justine stared at him sadly.

"Life sucks, right?" Sylar gulped down the rest of his drink, shrugging. "It sucks and then you die."

"For some of us, yeah." Justine nodded. "For some of us it goes on and on and on."

_Hey sugar momma come and dance with me  
__The__ smartest thing you ever did was take a chance with me  
__Whatever tickles your fancy  
__Girl it's me and you like Sid and Nancy_

"I want to kill him for you." Sylar's eyes bore into Justine's. "Adam. I want to kill him for putting those tears in your eyes. I want to kill him and take that power for myself. I'll let it be the last one I ever take."

"Why?" Justine wiped away the tears as she took another swig of her drink. "I can see why you'd want Adam's power, even though it's more of a curse than a gift, but why kill him for me?"

"A gift. I've been studying you Justine, not just for the last day, but for the last six months. I became obsessed with you and Miriam, wanting to know your powers, wanting to know YOU. I went to Miriam's after the funeral and I went to your apartment in New Orleans. I slept in your bed, I flipped through photo albums, I read the degrees on the wall and the books on your shelves. Now that I know what you can do, now that I know what you are, I want you for myself. I want to kill Adam for hurting you and I want his power so I can live forever, with you." Justine stared at him blearily as he leaned forward. "You're the perfect match for me, though you don't know it. We'd be the yin to each other's yang. The cop who wants normalcy and the killer who wants powers. You could rein me in and I could set you free. I could give you that life you want so desperately, the kids, the house, the dog, and you wouldn't have to run afterwards. We could be together truly and completely forever. What do you say?"

Justine stared at him for a moment before she burst into laughter. "You're kidding me, right? No, it's the booze talking, isn't it?" Sylar's eyes narrowed as she gulped down the rest of her drink. "You're a serial killer, Sylar."

"So?" He snarled.

"So, I'm a cop. I've been sworn to protect the public from people like you. You can't change, you won't want to change. You're like Miriam, only she doesn't kill to get her powers. You'll never be happy with what you have and if you became immortal on top of all of that, you'd be even more fucked up than you already are." Justine reached out and took his hand as he looked away, his expression furious. "You know I'm right."

"Fine." Sylar growled, snatching his hand away. "Sorry if I thought that maybe there was something here between us."

Justine studied her empty drink and nodded. "There is." As Sylar turned back to her, frowning, she smiled. "Wanna find an empty room and really give Miriam what's coming to her?"

"What?" Sylar asked, his eyes widening.

"How about instead of wanting to give me forever, we just settle for a few screaming 'O's of our own, that aren't second hand?" Justine stood up, swaying as she held out her hand. "I can phase through walls. Wanna be naughty and screw in a room that we didn't pay for?"

Sylar grabbed the hand she offered and stood, pressing her against the table as he kissed her, his tongue probing her mouth as his hands slid under the back of her shirt. "Lead the way." He whispered.

Justine grabbed his hand again and stumbled out of the bar, heading down the hall towards the rooms. She giggled as she pressed her ear against different doors until she finally found an empty one. Taking his hand, she phased through the door, bringing her with him before turning and kissing him again. "Do it." She whispered softly.

"That is a very cool power." Sylar murmured as he spun around, shoving Justine against the door as he buried his face in her neck.

"You can't have it." She moaned softly.

"No?" Sylar stepped away and quickly spun Justine around, shoving her face-first into the door as she moaned. He reached up, grasping her hair as his lips pressed against her ear. "I could take it right now. You're so drunk you can barely stand and dear Isabelle's sleeping two floors above us. What's to stop me from killing you?"

"If you killed me, I wouldn't be able to do this." Justine reached behind her and began to stroke him through his jeans, smiling as he moaned softly in her ear, pressing against her for more.

"You're right about that. And I wouldn't be able to hear you scream with pleasure when I do this." He reached around her waist with his free hand and slid his hand into her jeans, stroking and probing as she cried out, squirming against him. He tightened his grip on her hair with one hand as his other hand probed more, smiling as she trembled against him. "I kill your father and I'll do this every night for eternity. Imagine how that would be, how it would feel. Admit it, you want me to do it, you want to be with me forever, doing this every night."

"Oh God!" Justine moaned. She cried out as his hand began to quicken their movements, bringing her to the brink as Sylar telekinetically unbuttoned her shirt. "Don't stop." She whispered.

"Never, not for eternity." He whispered in her hair. "If you'd let me."

"You barely know me." Justine whispered, her breath coming in gasps as Sylar's hand continued to make her tremble.

"You know me better than you think you do. You're not as good as you think YOU are. You like me, you like the darkness, you like dancing with the devil, admit it."

"God, shut up and just fuck me already." Justine moaned, pressing against him.

"Close enough." Sylar chuckled as he quickly turned her around, one hand still buried in her hair as he kissed her hungrily, his hand grasping her head to keep her pressed against him as they kissed and fell towards the bed. He quickly pulled off Justine's jeans and shirt before stripping naked and joining her on the bed, entering her with a forcible thrust that made her cry out with pleasure. He continued to move, thrusting hard, grinning with each scream and moan that followed. He laughed as she wrapped her legs around his waist, her nails digging into his back as she begged him to continue. "Oh, I'm not stopping anytime soon, Juss." He whispered. "Imagine what this would feel like if I became just as immortal as you, we could do this every night forever. Just admit that we're the same, that we fit." He kissed her, thrusting hard as she whimpered under him, her eyes rolling back as she began to shudder under him. "I'll make you see that we're right." He nodded, breathing hard. "You'll see."

* * *

October 6, 2007

Red Bluff, California

Elle turned and stared at Miriam as she began to gasp and moan. "Okay, if you're about to barf, please give me time to pull over."

Matt sat up, his eyes wide as Miriam's breathing quickened. "Uh, she's not about to barf. I know what's happening."

"Oh fuck!" Miriam shivered, squirming in her seat.

"What?" Elle stared at her.

"Eyes on the road, Elle." Noah grumbled. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me." He sighed as Miriam began to moan louder. "Is she-?"

"-Yep and since I'm back here and not, you know-" Matt shrugged "-apparently Justine's getting a free ride on a serial killer."

"Ex-FUCKING-cuse me?" Elle pulled over and turned on the interior light. "So not only does she feel it when Justine's drunk, she can feel it when Justine's-" her eyes widened as Miriam began to moan louder. "-God, why couldn't I have had a slutty twin?" She muttered.

"This is NOT fucking happening!" Miriam moaned. "Not with him, Jussy! Not with HIM!" Miriam turned to Elle. "Gotta gun?"

"What?" Elle asked.

"A GUN!" Miriam shuddered, gasping for air. She opened the glove compartment and nodded. "Oh thank GOD!" She pulled a gun out and pulled off her shoe before opening the door.

"That's MINE!" Elle stared as Miriam aimed at her own foot. "What the fucking fuck?"

"MIRIAM DON'T!" Matt dove for her as the gun went off, blowing off part of her bare foot. Miriam shrieked in pain as Noah reached over and grabbed the gun from her, shaking his head. Matt climbed into the front seat as Miriam sobbed and held her, rocking her gently. "Oh Baby, what have you done."

"Stopped them." She moaned, shivering. "Try getting over that one, Juss."

"Baby, your foot." Matt whispered.

"HOLY SHIT LOOK AT HER FOOT!" Elle pointed at Miriam's foot in shock, staring with Matt and Noah as bones quickly grew in, replacing the top half that had been blown away. Muscle and blood vessels quickly followed, ending with skin. Elle sat back, staring queasily as Miriam began to wiggle her newly grown toes. "Oh, I'm going to puke!" She turned and bolted out of the car and ran to the back of it, vomiting.

Noah tucked the gun into the waistband of his pants and sighed as the sound of Elle's retching echoed into the car. "Well, that's certainly an interesting way to stop two people from getting their freak on." He mused.

* * *

Davis, California

Sylar continued to thrust as Justine suddenly screamed out in pain. "OH GET OFF!" She shrieked.

"I'm trying." He moaned.

"NO, FREAK SHOW, GET OFF OF ME!" Justine sobbed as she pushed Sylar off and began to rub her foot, moaning in pain. "Oh that fucking HURT!"

"Cramp?" Sylar whispered. He sat up and touched her shoulder. "I could rub it and-"

"-No, I think Miriam just sent me a message." Justine wiggled her toes, shuddering. "She knows what I'm doing and apparently who with. I think she just shot herself in the foot to make me quit."

"Good, let the bitch limp." Sylar nibbled on Justine's shoulder. "Now, where were we?"

"Going back to our room." Justine grabbed her clothes as Sylar stared at her, wide-eyed. "Moment's over, that shot in the foot sobered me up in more ways than one."

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." Sylar groaned.

"Nope." Justine shook her head, not meeting his eyes as she dressed. "We shouldn't have done this anyway. It was a mistake. It won't happen again."

Sylar grabbed his clothes angrily and pulled them on, glaring at Justine. "Yeah, right." He stepped towards her, grabbing her chin in his hand and jerking it up to make her look at him. "It'll happen again, and again and again because this, what we were doing, you can't deny that it felt right."

"It was just sex." Justine whispered as she took his hand, phasing them back into the hall. "And it shouldn't have happened." She walked back to her room with him and walked inside, quickly walking into the bathroom. Sylar watched as she closed the door and listened to the shower start.

"Oh, it'll happen again. It was more than just sex." He muttered as he climbed into bed. He closed his eyes for a moment, reliving what he and Justine had just done together. "Fucking twins." He grumbled. He opened his eyes, frowning to see Isabelle staring at him. "What? We're adults, leave us alone." He turned his back to her and buried his head under a pillow, frustrated.

Isabelle watched him for a moment, then settled her gaze on the bathroom door. She sighed and shook her head as she lay down and closed her eyes to sleep.

* * *

Williams, California

Matt stroked Miriam's hair as she lay against him in the back seat. "How's your foot?"

"Good as new." She whispered. She glanced over at Elle as she sat in the passenger seat. "Sorry about all of that."

"Creepiest shit I've ever seen in my life." Elle shuddered. "Swear that you'll never do that again."

"Only as long as Sylar and Justine keep their pants on around each other." Miriam murmured sleepily.

"You do realize though that Justine could give us serious payback the next time we-" Matt shrugged as Noah ground his teeth in the driver's seat. "-well, the next time we're together."

"Let her try. Like that would keep me from-"

"-There are other people listening." Noah muttered. "People that don't want to know about your sex lives and have seen more than enough tonight to last them a lifetime when it comes to-"

"-speak for yourself, funsucker!" Elle turned back around to Miriam and Matt. "So? Keep talking. So Justine shooting HER foot off wouldn't keep you from WHAT?"

Miriam laughed softly. "How close are we to Davis?" She asked Noah.

"God! Don't change the subject!" Elle turned to Noah. "You're no fun! You need to get laid, seriously."

"Well, if your father hadn't decided to keep me from my wife-" Noah cleared his throat "-we're still a few hours away. We'll be there before dawn."

"Good." Miriam nodded. "I'm going to get some sleep. Wake me if you need me to take over."

Noah sighed. "I think I can manage until morning. I'll need you and Elle both rested to take down Sylar."

"With pleasure." Miriam nodded.

Elle snorted. "You know, since you're gonna kill him come morning, you should have let Sylar have one last hurrah."

"With MY SISTER? I think not." Miriam shook her head as she closed her eyes.

Matt stared out of the window for a moment before pulling out his cell phone. As Miriam stared at him, he shrugged. "Gonna call Mohinder, see how Molly's doing. It's almost time for them to get up in New York."

"Okay." Miriam nodded sleepily.

* * *

Hartsdale, New York

Mohinder rubbed his eyes sleepily as he finally stretched out to sleep on his cot beside Molly's bed. He groaned as his cell phone began to vibrate. "Bloody hell." He climbed out of bed and answered it, whispering as he stepped out of Molly's room to avoid waking her and Maya. "Yes?"

"Hey." Matt grinned as he heard Mohinder's voice. "I figured you'd be asleep."

"So why'd you bloody call?" Mohinder sighed. "Sorry for the tone. I was actually just going to sleep."

"Late hours?"

"You could say that. I was studying the blood samples that Elle brought back from the Pratt home in Washington."

"Why would you be studying that until the wee hours of the morning?"

Mohinder frowned. "Matt? What have you heard about your father, his proclivities?"

"Why?" Matt stared at Miriam as she slept beside him. "What's my father got to do with this?"

"I noticed something odd about the blood samples, Matt. I confronted Bob about them and he confirmed my suspicions. There was one blood sample that showed a familial connection to both of the other individuals in the house." As Matt remained silent on the phone, Mohinder sighed. "I don't know how to tell you this without just saying it straightaway. Sylar is Isabelle's half-brother."

"I see." Matt's grip on the phone tightened. "Um, through the mother?"

"No. He has the same father as Isabelle, the same father as you, Matt. Sylar's your half-brother."

"That can't be right." Matt shook his head. "Re-test it."

"I have. I've been able to isolate Justine's blood, it's basically genetically identical to Miriam's sample that she gave me before she left. That left two samples. Sample A showed a genetic link to Sample B and Sample B showed a genetic link not only to A but also to Justine. Obviously Sample B is Isabelle and Sample A is Sylar."

"It's not true." Matt growled angrily.

"I'm sorry but it is. Bob confirmed it. Apparently your father made a habit of impregnating women in the seventies and eighties and Linderman kept tabs on two of the children that came from those-"

"-It's not true, Mohinder." Matt's voice became angrier as Miriam woke up and turned to him, concerned.

"-One of those children was Sylar. That's why it was difficult for the FBI to catch him. Linderman was protecting him, letting him continue to kill for whatever reason. The other child-"

"-I'm not discussing this anymore and I never want to hear that lie again. Goodbye Mohinder." Matt quickly snapped his phone shut and turned it off.

"Oh, bugger." Mohinder groaned as he closed his phone. "That went better than expected though, all things considered.

* * *

Williams, California

Miriam studied Matt's face as he stared straight ahead, his hands balled into fists. "Matt? What's going on?"

"I'm okay." He muttered.

"I didn't ask if you were okay, I can see that you're not. I asked you what was going on."

"Nothing." He shook his head.

"Matt-"

"-I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!" He turned to Miriam, his expression softening as she backed away. He looked away, shaking his head. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Miriam shook her head as she pulled away from him and turned away, closing her eyes. "You don't want to talk about it, we're not talking."

"Shit." Matt muttered as he looked away, his mind reeling with Mohinder's words.

* * *

Davis, California

They pulled into the parking lot of the hotel as dawn broke, searching the parking lot quietly. "See your car?" Noah asked.

Miriam shook her head. "No. I guess they're riding in something else." She groaned and shook her head. "I wish I could find them."

"You do have the same powers as Sylar now. Mohinder said that he'd acquired extra-sensitive hearing from a woman named Dale Smithers a year ago. Think you can use it now?"

"I'll try." She closed her eyes, trying to search through all of the sounds that suddenly flooded her ears. A few moments later, she smiled. "I hear Justine."

"Where are they?" Noah asked.

"They're on this side of the building in one of the rooms, it sounds like they're packing to leave." Miriam climbed out of the car, nodding to Elle. "We're up."

"What are we going to do?" Elle asked.

"I'm going to track them by sound and find they're room. The moment we find them and I spot Sylar, we're both giving him one mother of a jolt simultaneously." She turned to Matt as he stared to climb out of the car. "Stay here. Keep up with the 'not talking', okay?"

"Miriam-"

"-You're not talking, neither am I." Miriam slammed the door as she and Elle crossed the parking lot.

"Why didn't you use your super-hearing to overhear what he and Mohinder were talking about?" Elle asked as they headed towards the hotel.

"I did. I heard what Mohinder had to say, I just couldn't believe it any more than Matt. Still, it makes sense. I just wanted him to say it out loud, see how it sounded. I think Mohinder's right." Miriam nodded.

"What did he tell him?"

"It seems Matt and Sylar are brothers, which makes Isabelle their sister."

Elle frowned. "So Justine fucked one of Isabelle's brothers last night and you're fucking the other? Soooo that's how it is in your family, huh?"

"Apparently." Miriam nodded.

"And you're still gonna kill him, even though he's Izzie's brother and Matt's? Damn, that's cold." Elle sighed.

"Mind keeping it down?" Miriam hissed. "He can hear just as well as I can and I don't want him to know we're coming for him."

"Fine." Elle muttered. "It's still cold."

"I told him if he came near my sisters, I'd kill him. I'm a woman of my word."

"Even if it means making Matt AND Izzie watch their brother die?"

"Izzie doesn't know he's her brother."

"She knew Matt was her brother, odds are she knows Sylar is too."

"I doubt that." Miriam shook her head. "She probably overheard us talking about Maury Parkman over the years and when Matt introduced himself, realized who he was. Sylar's last name isn't Parkman."

"I wonder." Elle shrugged as Miriam turned to her. "You've gotta admit, there's something kind of eerie about your little sister. I only saw her for a second and I saw it. Maybe she knows more than you think. You're always saying she perceives things differently, maybe she's already perceived that she and Sylar are brother and sister."

"Will you shut up?" Miriam hissed. "Don't make me send you to the car too."

"Fine." Elle grumbled. "But maybe you should-"

"-shut it!" Miriam stopped. "I can hear them." She climbed a flight of stairs and nodded as she reached a room. _They're in here._

Elle's eyes widened. "How did you-?" She closed her mouth quickly at Miriam's warning glare.

_It's called telepathy, Elle. Now SHUT IT!_

They waited outside of the room, Miriam's eyes narrowing as she heard Sylar approaching the door.

* * *

The moment they'd awakened in the room, things had been uncomfortable between Sylar and Justine with Isabelle watching them both as they packed and tried to avoid one another, an amused look on her face as she observed them both. Finally, she stood and walked to the checkerboard, nodding to Sylar. "Finish." She said softly.

"Okay." Sylar glanced at Justine as she gulped down two aspirin. "Headache?"

"Yeah." She closed her suitcase and sat on the edge of the bed. "I shouldn't have drank so much earlier."

"There are a lot of things you think you shouldn't have done that I'm sure you'll be begging to do again soon." He turned to Isabelle and nodded. "It was your turn." He watched as Isabelle made her move and quickly made his own before turning back to Justine. "And to think, you could have finished up and at least let your headache mean something."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Justine rolled her eyes. "The only thing my headache means is that I shouldn't have gone off drinking with you and I won't again, ever."

"Right. Sure." Sylar watched as Isabelle made a move, then followed her. He smiled as Isabelle quickly finished the game. "And you beat the pants off of me, much like your sister did last night." As Isabelle's eyes widened, Sylar smirked at Justine.

"I didn't beat shit off of you and I'd like it if you didn't speak to my sister like that." Justine grabbed the suitcases. "Are we stealing a new car now, or waiting until we get on the road into Sacramento?"

"We'll steal another later." Sylar shrugged.

"Fine." Justine headed towards the door with the luggage.

"Oh no, let me." Sylar grabbed them from Justine. "It's the least I could do since I was so offensive last night, getting you drunk and taking advantage."

"You didn't take advantage, okay?"

Sylar opened the door and backed out, glaring at Justine. "So you admit it? I didn't take advantage, you wanted it to."

"Of course I wanted it, I'm just not going to want it again!" Justine looked away.

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that-" He yelped as a bolt of lightning struck him. He turned as Miriam stomped towards him.

"GET HIM ELLE!" Miriam blasted him again as Elle backed away, shaking her head.

"This is some fucked-up shit right here." Elle murmured. "And I'm staying the hell out of it."

"MIRIAM!" Justine stepped out into the hallway and jumped back into the room as Miriam blasted Sylar again, knocking him over the railing to the pavement below. "MIRIAM STOP IT!"

Miriam ignored her twin as she jumped below, stopping her descent with telekinesis before she hit the ground. Sylar moaned on the ground beside her, his muscles twitching and spasming from the electric shocks. Miriam kicked him, sending him sprawling on his back as he groaned in pain. She nodded, staring at his two ankles, twisted and broken from his fall. "What did I tell you that I'd do if you came near my sisters, asshole?" She knelt beside him as he shivered from pain, sparks flying from her fingers. "What did I tell you, huh? I said that I would FUCKING KILL YOU, didn't I?"

"MIRIAM STOP!" Justine scrambled down the stairs with Isabelle hot on her heels. "Stop it right now before someone sees!"

"Stay out of this, Justine!" Miriam yelled, her eyes never leaving Sylar's as he stared up at her blearily, delirious with pain. "You're going to pay for attacking me. You're going to pay for attacking my sisters and then you're going to pay for fucking my sister, got it?"

In the SUV, Matt watched as Miriam crouched over his brother, his heart pounding as she grabbed him by the front of his shirt, her fist doubled. "Don't you think you'd better stop her before she kills him?" Noah asked.

"Why?" Matt muttered.

"Well, he IS your brother, after all." As Matt turned to him, Noah shrugged. "Bob was stupid enough to create a file on it and even more stupid not to create a better password on his computer besides 'Midas'. I read about Sylar a few months ago and his relation to you and Isabelle. I also read about Eden."

"Who?"

"Your sister. I trained her. She died almost a year ago by her own hand. She did it to keep Sylar from taking her power." Noah sighed. "You wanna talk about this now while your girl murders your brother in front of you and your youngest sister or do you want to talk about this later once this carnage has been halted?"

"Shit." Matt climbed out of the SUV and ran towards Miriam as Justine and Isabelle did the same. "Miriam! Wait!"

"Stay out of this Matt!" Miriam pulled her fist back, letting it spark as she prepared to give Sylar a death-blow. "I told you, shit head. I told you you'd die. I told you I'd kill you."

"MIRIAM STOP IT!" Justine held out her hand, pulling Miriam towards her and away from Sylar with her telekinesis. "STOP IT NOW!"

"LET ME FUCKING GO!" Miriam struggled against the power as Justine shook her head. "He deserves to-"

"-What? Die?" Justine grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "You're going to kill the man that saved my life? You're going to kill the man that kept me and Iz safe from the company, the company YOU'RE now working for?"

"He's a murderer!" Miriam hissed.

"So am I, remember that technician of Bob's? I killed him, remember? You gonna kill me next?" Justine shook her head as Miriam stopped struggling. "Don't do this, Mir."

"Listen to her." Matt knelt beside Sylar as he was joined by Isabelle. "Don't kill him, not yet."

"Oh shut up!" Miriam pulled away from Justine as Elle joined them. She pointed to Justine. "YOU don't want him to die because you're fucking him and you" she pointed to Matt "-just because you've discovered he's your brother doesn't mean he wouldn't kill you the first chance he got, Matt! He's a killer! He should get a taste of his own medicine!"

"Brother?" Justine asked softly. "Same mom, or same dad?"

"Dad." Miriam growled as Justine gasped, staring at Isabelle.

Matt shook his head. "So you think he deserves to die? Who are you, his executioner?" He stared down at Sylar, grimacing. "You have no more right to kill HIM than he did to kill any of his victims."

"Don't do it, Mir, not in front of Iz." Justine pleaded.

Isabelle stared down at Sylar, her eyes suddenly widening with realization. She turned and stared at Matt, looking into his eyes before returning her gaze to Sylar, gently stroking his cheek. "Brother. Mine." She whispered.

Miriam closed her eyes in defeat. "Oh for fuck's sake." She groaned.

Justine joined Matt and Isabelle and took Sylar's hand. Matt shuddered as Sylar's twisted, broken ankles suddenly snapped back into place and straightened out. Sylar stopped shivering as he stared up at Justine. "Thanks."

"I owed you one." Justine sighed.

Sylar slowly sat up, wincing as he touched his ankles and turned to Matt and Isabelle. "Did I just hear what I thought I just heard?" His eyes filled with tears as Isabelle took his hand, then took Matt's. He stared at Matt. "Didn't you try to shoot me in Kirby Plaza?"

"Yeah." Matt nodded.

"Thought so." He stared at the ground, uncomfortable as Miriam and Justine looked away. "I think there's a lot of cans open right now with worms everywhere."

"Tell me about it." Matt nodded.

"We have a lot to talk about." Justine turned to Miriam. "Can we do it WITHOUT violence?"

"Fine." Miriam rolled her eyes, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "But we'll need to do it away from here before someone calls the cops."

Elle watched as everyone grabbed Justine and Isabelle's luggage and headed for the SUV. "Seriously. This is so fucked up beyond ALL recognition. God I'm glad I was asked to go on this trip, it's better than a soap!" She giggled as she headed towards the vehicle.

* * *

Song cited: "Butterfly" by Crazy Town 


	14. Chapter 14: Wine Country

Chapter Fourteen: Wine Country

October 6, 2007

Noah cranked up the SUV and checked around in the back. Elle sat beside him while Miriam and Matt sat together in the middle back seat, Justine, Sylar and Isabelle sitting together in the rear seat. "Looks like we're packed to the rafters in here, with an extra guest we weren't expecting."

Matt stared at him. "You figured on Miriam killing Sylar, even though you KNEW-"

"-Yes." Noah's eyes narrowed as he studied Sylar. "You and I still have a reckoning, you do realize that."

Sylar looked away as Isabelle continued to stare at him. "Stand in line. There are a lot of people that have a lot of things to take up with me."

"Including Maya. She's in New York and she's none too thrilled with you." Miriam nodded. "I had to threaten her within an inch of her life to keep her there instead of coming along on this trip."

"Let me guess, you didn't want anyone else extracting their pound of flesh until you got yours?" Sylar quipped.

"Pretty much, yeah." She pursed her lips at Justine. "I thought at the time that you had kidnapped my sisters, I didn't realize until later that they'd come willingly."

"It wasn't exactly willingly." Justine groaned. "We fought, I touched him and got sick and then I realized that you had been grabbed by Elle when she zapped you and I felt it. I knew they were coming for me and Iz next, so I tried to leave. The only problem was, I was too sick to leave. Sylar realized what was happening, he knew that the company was sending agents to our home and he knew that if they found us, they'd find him too. He helped us escape and he saved my life when my fever got so high from acquiring all of his powers at once that I nearly died."

"So you thought you'd give him a little bounce as a 'thank you'?" Miriam smirked.

Noah groaned. "Can we discuss this later? I'd rather not hear it at all, but I certainly don't want to hear it while I'm driving."

"Where are we going?" Elle asked.

Noah shrugged. "The Napa Valley's not too far from here. We'll find a hotel there, hole up for a day or two and hash everything out." He smiled softly, Matt joining him as he read his mind. "We'll talk about EVERYTHING there."

"Great." Elle snorted. "Just what the people in this car need: wine."

* * *

They pulled up to a hotel an hour later and climbed out, staring at one another. "What are the sleeping arrangements going to be?" Elle asked. "I mean, I can see maybe Miriam and Matt pairing up and Justine and Sylar pairing up-"

"-That's not going to happen." Miriam growled angrily.

"Fine Genius, how do YOU want to do this?" Elle glared.

"Girls in one room, guys in the other." Noah nodded. "I don't think Sylar's going to go 'serial killer' today until he gets a lot of answers, right?" Sylar looked away, his expression still dazed with the information he'd been given earlier. "And if you THINK of trying anything, simply remember this: Matt has the same capacity to fuck with your head that Isabelle does and if HE can't stop you in time, she'd be in the next room, got it?"

"Loud and clear." Sylar mumbled.

Matt sighed and walked to Miriam as Noah headed towards the manager's office to get the rooms. "About earlier, the whole snapping at you thing-"

Miriam smiled softly at him and hushed him with a soft kiss. "-it's already forgotten. You were freaked out and I heard what Mohinder told you, I just wanted you to verify what I'd overheard. I would have been equally messed up if not more so. I'm sorry I was a bitch about it."

"Great." Elle muttered. "I'm going to have to share a room tonight with her probably all bitchy because she couldn't get any Matt-lovin'."

Justine turned to Sylar as he stared off into space, Isabelle gently holding his hand. "You okay? I know you got hit with a lot of information earlier and-"

"-it just seems unreal." Sylar whispered, glancing down at Isabelle. "She's my sister?"

"Apparently." Justine nodded.

Sylar glanced over at Matt. "And he's my brother. He shot at me in Kirby Plaza. I shoved the bullets back at him, I injured him pretty badly."

"You didn't know." Justine shook her head.

"It wouldn't have mattered, considering where my head was." He laughed bitterly. "And I also nearly murdered my own sister as well. Hey, I've already killed my own mother, what's a dead brother and murdered sister to a guy like that, huh?"

"You told me that was an accident, what happened to your mother."

"Doesn't make it better in the end, does it?" Sylar looked away.

"Great, I'm sharing a room with 'Debbie Downer'. Next thing you know, he's going to start discussing feline leukemia." Matt murmured as Miriam stifled a giggle.

Noah quickly returned and handed out key cards to everyone. As he looked around at the dazed and confused group, he sighed. "We'll meet in the guys' room in an hour to start discussing everything. Until then, let's move it and get unpacked." Noah pointed to Matt and Sylar, jerking his head towards the hotel and leading them away as the girls stood around, staring nervously at each other.

Elle glanced at her watch. "Oh, look at the time! I have somewhere else to be that isn't Awkwardsville so I'll just take that key and take my luggage and unpack." She quickly snatched the keycard from Miriam's fingers and turned to Isabelle, staring at her purple jumper. "Come with me, Your Highness. We'll get settled in and let these two battle it out, which is what I think they're going to do." Isabelle stared up at Miriam and Justine for a moment and sighed, turning to Elle and following her towards the hotel.

Miriam and Justine stared each other down in the parking lot. Justine finally sighed. "You're not even going to say that you're glad to see us?" She asked.

"You know, you COULD say you're glad to see ME." Miriam smirked.

"I AM!" Justine sighed, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. "It was kind of hard to get a word in edgewise with you blasting Sylar and beating the unholy shit out of him." She laughed softly. "There you were, charging in like the cavalry-"

"-I THOUGHT you and Iz were in danger!" Miriam rolled her eyes. "The last time I saw Sylar face-to-face, he was taunting me with killing you both."

"He tried, Iz saved the day. I wasn't much help after I touched him." Justine shook her head. "I felt as miserable as you appeared to be. How long did it take for you to get over it?"

"About twelve hours, you?"

"About that."

"Gee, good thing you got over getting sick when you touched him, huh?" Miriam muttered sarcastically.

"Oh God, here we go-"

"-what were you THINKING letting that man anywhere near you like THAT?" Miriam shuddered. "Granted, from my end it felt like he damn sure knew what he was doing, but still-"

"-I was drunk and lonely, I let my guard down, it's not going to happen again." Justine sighed.

"GOOD! He's a serial killer-"

"-don't you think I KNOW that?" Justine groaned. "Look, you weren't here, okay? He started out all evil and twisted, but after he got us out of the house and we established a few ground rules, the main one basically being if he even thought about killing us Izzie would fry his brain and I'd let her, he actually started being-"

"-what? NICE?" Miriam rolled her eyes as Justine nodded. "Yeah, from what I heard, he pulled some similar shit on Molly's babysitter Maya. She and her TWIN brother Alejandro found him in the desert in Mexico, claiming to have been robbed. She took pity on him and let him in her car. He seemed nice to her too, helping her build up her power, which is pretty fucked-up by the way-"

"-I wondered where you got that from after I shook you in Davis, thanks a lot! How the hell am I supposed to watch _The Notebook_ now?-"

"-what I'm saying is he insinuated himself into her life. Matt told me her story. Sylar pretended to be all sweet and contrite and helpless while he helped Maya and Alejandro get to New York and to Mohinder. In Virginia, after Alejandro found out about his mother's murder, which he's a wanted man for by the way, Sylar gave this pitiful sob story about his evil mommy attacking him and how her murder was self-defense-" she nodded as Justine looked away guiltily "-Oh, let me guess, THAT'S how he got into your panties, too?"

"Shut up." Justine growled. She frowned. "What do you mean 'too'?"

"He slept with Maya in Virginia last March, after he murdered her twin brother. See, Alejandro was onto him, he knew Sylar was no damn good, so Sylar murdered Alejandro, then fucked Maya in her adjoining hotel room, while Alejandro's body cooled in Sylar's after making her feel all sorry for him for having to kill his mommy." Miriam raised an eyebrow as Justine closed her eyes, shuddering. "Forgot to tell you that part while he was giving you his pitiful life story?"

"It doesn't matter." Justine opened her eyes and glared at Miriam. "It's not going to happen again. I was weak, he was-"

"-sexy? Understanding? Agreeing with everything you said and wanting to give you the world? Playing on your sympathies? Wake UP, Justine! You're a COP! You couldn't see through that bullshit? He's a KILLER!"

"I KNOW!" Justine turned to walk towards the hotel. "I said it won't happen again and it won't, okay? GOD!" She turned back to Miriam, her eyes shooting daggers. "By the way, I'm glad to see that you're okay."

"Same here, dammit!" Miriam groaned and followed Justine to their hotel room. As soon as they entered the room, Isabelle stared at both of them for a moment, her eyes sad as she got up to hug Miriam. "I'm glad you're okay too, though I didn't exactly show it in Davis." Miriam kissed Isabelle's cheek.

Isabelle studied her sister, her lips tightening into a thin line. "He's my brother." She said softly.

"He's also a murderer, Iz."

"Not anymore, I'm making him good." Isabelle turned and walked back to her bed to sit down as Miriam frowned.

"What's that supposed to mean? How are you going to 'make' him good, Iz?" Isabelle turned away, smiling softly. "Okay, that was cryptic." Miriam checked her watch and sighed. "We've got another forty-five minutes before we have to meet up with everyone else next door. I'm hitting the showers."

"Elle's showering." Isabelle said softly.

"Okay, HOW can SHE take a shower without frying herself and everything around her?" Miriam turned as the bathroom door opened and Elle stepped out with a cloud of steam following her. Miriam stared at Elle as she tightened the towel wrapped around her and noticed the thick-soled rubber shower shoes on her feet. "Oh, that's how."

"I learned that lesson when I was six." Elle smiled wryly as she walked to her suitcase and pulled out a clean pair of clothes. "God, I needed that shower in the WORST way!"

"You and me both, which is why I'm hitting it now." Miriam walked into the bathroom after grabbing a change of clothes from her knapsack. "And after we're finished with our little talky-talky next door, I'm SO hitting a mall on Bob's dime to get some clothes that are actually MINE." She glanced at Elle. "Do I WANT to know why you all had extra clothes lying around the facility?"

"Not really." Elle shook her head.

Miriam grimaced. "I didn't think so." She turned and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

* * *

Matt sat on a bed staring at Sylar as he sat across from him. Sylar looked around uncomfortably, avoiding Matt's gaze. Finally he rolled his eyes. "WHAT?"

Matt shook his head. "Nothing. It's just-" he shrugged "-you have my dad's eyes."

"Great." Sylar muttered. "I always thought I had MY dad's eyes." He pulled his legs up to his chest and rested his chin on his knees. "It explains why my dad flipped out when I was a teenager. He'd had this physical done for his life insurance, which seeing what little they paid out he shouldn't have bothered taking. The doctors told him he had a zero sperm count. He screamed and yelled at Mom and she swore left and right that she was a 'Christian' woman who had never had sex with anyone but him. I should have known she was lying." Sylar stared at the wall, his expression sad. "Figures the only parent I actually got along with and liked wasn't even really mine."

"He was still your dad, he just wasn't your father." Matt shrugged. "Trust me, you didn't miss out on shit by not having Maury in your life. He walked out on me and MY mom when I was thirteen."

"Maury." Sylar snorted. "That's his name?"

"Yeah." Matt studied him. "You know, Maury had this way of making people do what he wanted and even making them forget about it later. As far as your mom knew, you WERE your dad's son."

"Lovely, I just went from being not only a bastard, but a child of what basically amounts to rape AND a bastard. Thanks." Sylar grimaced.

"Sorry." Matt stared at him. "We're the same height, aren't we?"

"Six-two?" Sylar asked. Matt nodded. "I guess so."

"Dad wasn't six-two. He was shorter. I guess we have an ancestor somewhere that was tall like us." Matt smiled grimly. "At least you apparently inherited skinny genes from someone, I got Maury's stocky build."

"I could have dealt with being stocky in high school. I was a short, skinny fucker until I was about seventeen. I learned how to run really fast thanks to bullies."

"You were bullied?" Matt shrugged. "That explains a lot."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sylar glared.

"Guys who are bullied usually turn into bullies."

"You calling me a bully?" Sylar asked.

"Yeah, the behavior I saw in Kirby Plaza screamed 'bully' to me." Matt nodded.

"Really? I didn't realize you had time to actually watch me. I figured you'd be too busy trying not to bleed to death."

"Fuck you." Matt snarled.

"Shouldn't have shot at me." Sylar giggled softly. "Hell, you should have known better after you shot at me in L.A. and I got up and TK'ed my ass out of there." Sylar cocked his head to the side, studying Matt as he ground his teeth angrily. "By the way, how is dear, sweet, little Molly? You're raising her with Mohinder, aren't you? I never would have pegged either of you two THAT way."

"What's THAT supposed to mean?" Matt's eyes widened.

"Molly has two daddies, that's sweet, really." Sylar snorted.

"Yeah, two daddies that don't have to tell bullshit lies to women to get them in the sack. I know that you seduced Maya with some sob story about your poor mommy trying to kill you because you were different, did you give the same song and dance to Justine?"

"No, she pretty much just got drunk and tackled me." Sylar smirked. "Is that what you did for Miriam? According to Justine, she's kind of a drunk slut. I guess she'd have to be to sleep with you."

"Why you little-" Matt started to dive towards Sylar as Noah walked into the room, hanging up his cell phone.

"Oh for the love of GOD!" Noah grabbed Matt and shoved him back on his bed. "If I didn't think you two were brothers before, here's my proof, you can't be alone for five minutes without getting into a fight!" Noah rolled his eyes and turned to Sylar. "What did you SAY to him?"

"What makes you think I said anything to him?" Sylar smirked.

"Because I know Matt and I KNOW you! I swear to God right now if you don't start playing nice, I'll tape your damn mouth shut." Noah groaned as he sat in a chair. "And I thought refereeing Claire and Lyle was a headache."

"How's Sandra?" Sylar grinned as Noah glared at him. "That's who you were talking to on the phone, right? You were planning some clandestine meeting in a neighboring hotel for later? You naughty little boy." Sylar purred. "According to what I heard, if your boss-man found out you were even laying eyes on your wife, much less making a date to give her a little pickle-tickle, he'd have you locked away wouldn't he?"

"You're going to see Sandra tonight?" Matt smiled. "Good for you." He turned to Sylar. "You open your trap to anyone about it and I'll-"

"-What? Sic our baby sister on us?" Sylar turned to Noah. "There any more of us Parkman bastards running around?"

"There was another one, but she killed herself to get away from you." As Sylar's smirk faded, Noah nodded. "Remember Eden? Blew her brains out after you TK'ed her through the glass in your cell in Odessa?" Sylar looked away. "How's it feel knowing you're responsible for not only your MOTHER'S death but your SISTER'S too?"

"I didn't know." Sylar whispered.

"Not that it would have made any difference, right?" Noah smirked as Matt stared at them both. "Hell, you tried to kill another sister a little less than two days ago, but unfortunately for you, she proved to be a bit more powerful than you could deal with. The great and powerful Sylar finally bit off more than he could chew when he tried to attack Isabelle Pratt."

Sylar rolled his eyes and looked away. "If you're planning on killing me, mind going ahead and doing it? I'm really not in the mood for a lecture."

Noah started to speak as he heard a knock on the door. "That would be the girls. Be on your best behaviors now." Noah said jokingly.

"Tell that to Miriam." Sylar muttered.

Noah let Miriam, Justine, Isabelle and Elle into the room and waited for them all to sit down. "I suppose we need to get the most obvious question out of the way first? What do we do with Sylar?"

"No kill." Isabelle whispered. "No."

"I'm with Isabelle." Justine nodded.

"Oh, you would be." Miriam smirked.

"I'm making him better." Isabelle said softly. Sylar stared at Isabelle, his brow furrowing as she stared at the ground.

"And just HOW are you doing that?" Miriam asked.

"Can't tell."

"Great, our FIFTEEN YEAR OLD SISTER thinks she can reform a serial killer." Miriam snorted.

Elle studied Isabelle. "Maybe she can."

"What?" Miriam frowned at Elle. "What in the hell are you talking about?"

Elle shrugged. "Give her a chance, see what happens."

"Fine, but you're sleeping in the bed closest to the door. That way if he decides to go all ax-murderer in the middle of the night, he'll get you first."

Noah stared at the group and sighed. "So Sylar lives for now? We're all agreed?" Everyone shrugged. "Fine." He turned to Sylar. "Any questions about your paternity and your newly discovered brother and sister?"

"Why is it Matt and Isabelle have these wicked mental powers and I don't?" Sylar asked.

Noah sighed. "Oh you would ask that one." He took off his glasses and cleaned them. "I honestly have no idea. Eden's power had an aspect similar to Matt and Isabelle as well but you, you have intuitive aptitude."

Matt frowned. "Meaning what?"

"Meaning I can see something and instinctively know how it works." Sylar sighed. "That's how I made a living as a watchmaker. I could look at a watch or clock, hear its tick and just immediately know if it was off or broken and how to fix it." He looked away. "It's also how I killed my first victim. He had telekinesis and he didn't want it, he was scared of it, actually. I looked at him and just instinctively knew how to get it from him, through his brain. I studied it and before i knew it, I had telekinesis myself. I suppose my brain just rewired itself to work like his."

"Your father was a watchmaker." Noah reminded him.

"I know." Sylar shrugged. "I guess if I'd been raised by a mechanic I'd have known a car inside and out-"

"-or if you'd been raised by a doctor, you'd have known the body inside and out." Justine raised her eyebrows. "Which is a type of mental power, knowing how things work purely by instinct."

"So instead of reading minds and getting people to do what we want mentally, he can reprogram his brain and get it to copy someone's powers." Matt nodded. "Makes sense. It's just another aspect of mental ability."

Miriam leaned back on her elbows, studying Sylar. "I hate to be a naysayer here-"

"-no you don't, you love it." Justine quipped.

"Cute." Miriam sighed. "But WE don't have any say in what Sylar's fate is ultimately going to be, now do we? Hell, Bob was ready to lock me and my sisters up and we weren't serial killers. God only knows what Bob and the company in general would want to do to him if we come back with him alive."

Noah nodded. "True. Bob wanted you three locked up because of a vendetta, though."

"And he wouldn't have one against Sylar?" Miriam asked.

"Not a personal one. I don't recall SYLAR ever attacking him and making him damn near carve his face off."

Sylar grinned at Miriam. "You did that? Why?"

Justine groaned. "Miriam didn't do it, I did it and it was because of what he did to Isabelle."

Noah stared at Justine. "YOU did it?" Justine nodded. "But I thought-"

"-I covered for her. Everyone assumed I did it and I knew no one would believe Justine if she came forward."

"I wouldn't have." Noah shook his head. "Justine REALLY did that?" He stared at Justine as she looked away, her expression tortured. "I'll be damned."

"Sucks to be wrong, doesn't it?" Miriam smirked.

"Wait, what did this Bob do to Isabelle?" Sylar frowned.

Miriam stared at the floor. "He got overzealous testing her abilities. He gave her this medication that ended up causing a seizure. She became autistic after that."

"Sound familiar?" Noah asked Elle. Elle looked away, tears in her eyes.

"Bastard." Sylar whispered.

"Makes a shunt to the brain pale in comparison, doesn't it?" Noah asked Sylar.

"Yeah." Sylar's jaw tightened as he turned to Isabelle, studying her. "I think I'd have done more than carve his face off."

Noah looked away for a moment. "Anyway, Bob's really in no position to turn down help right now, Sylar. If you can promise NOT to pull anyone's head off with your telekinesis odds are he'd welcome you onto the team that's forming here and has formed in New York to bag and tag Roger. Miriam's made a deal to ensure hers and her sisters' safety, I'm sure Bob would offer you something similar on the grounds that you started behaving yourself, IF you can."

"Wait, who's Roger?" Justine asked.

"I was wondering that myself." Sylar nodded. "I'm not agreeing to 'tag and bag' anyone until I know what the hell's going on here."

"I'm getting to that-" Noah said.

"-Some of Bob's crap! He made a mess and wants US to clean it up. He wants it pretty badly too." Miriam nodded. "Like Noah said, I made a deal with Bob, made him put it in writing too." She pulled a piece of paper out of the coat she'd brought in. "In exchange for taking out Roger, the three of us are going to be able to stop running. We can move back to Boston, New Orleans, Searsmont, or we could just stay in Seattle and start using our real names." Miriam waved the piece of paper under Justine's nose. "We HAVE gotten used to Seattle and it IS a great town!"

"I do like that house on Bainbridge." Justine sighed. "What makes you think he's not going to welsh when he's done?"

"I have it in writing! DUH!" Miriam tucked the paper away. "Plus, once we finish the job, the three of us will each get five million dollars AND I get a new Ducati."

"What about me?" Justine crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Oh, I'm SO renegotiating with Bob once we get to Hartsdale."

"What did you want?" Miriam grinned.

"I don't know." Justine mused. "Maybe a Ferrari?"

Miriam started laughing. "Hell, go for it! We've got Bob over a barrel, he'd probably buy you a Ferrari plant if that's what you wanted." She turned to Isabelle. "What about you? What do you want?" Isabelle shook her head and looked away.

Sylar leaned over to her. "A gold and platinum-plated checkers set?" Isabelle giggled softly.

"We can make a gold checkers set, jackass." Miriam rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, but you can't make platinum, now can you?" Sylar nodded as Miriam looked away. "That's what I thought."

Noah rubbed his eyes and pinched his nose, obviously annoyed. "Can we get BACK to the subject at hand, please? Bob isn't Oprah-"

"-You're right, he's potentially richer." Miriam smirked

"So are you and Justine." Sylar laughed. "Thanks to your twin power-sucking abilities. Hey!" Sylar grinned at Miriam wickedly. "Not only do you SUCK power, you suck FUN as well! Basically Honey, you just suck."

"Mind watching your mouth?" Matt glared at Sylar.

"Aw, what's the matter? Is someone pissed because I caused a case of coitus interruptus last night?" Miriam giggled.

"Bitch, I was just about to-"

"-get off by using my sister for sex after giving her the same sob story you gave Maya?" As Sylar glared angrily at her, Miriam smiled malevolently at him. "Oh, I KNOW what you did, okay? 'Oh poor me! My mommy was so mean and tried to kill me so I just HAD to kill her, but it was in self-defense, really! I'm so tortured over it, it was horrific. Fuck me to take my mind off of it? Pretty please?' What a loser!"

"That's how it happened, bitch." Sylar snarled. "My mother got a little upset when I showed her my powers. She said I was damned. She attacked me with scissors and when I tried to get them away from her, she got stabbed in the heart with them. I don't tell that story to get laid, I'd rather not tell it at all, okay?" Sylar blinked back angry tears as Miriam rolled her eyes. "It was one of the most terrible moments of my life and it makes me sick that you sit here joking about it, you hateful, snide, snotty little bitch-"

"-can we just drop it?" Matt whispered.

"-You know what? I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry I killed my mother, I'm sorry I killed all those people and I'm sorry I attacked Justine and Isabelle. I'm NOT sorry I attacked YOU, however, I'm just sorry I didn't fucking finish the job!"

"You couldn't finish the job if your life depended on it." Miriam quipped. "You couldn't finish the job with me in the alley and you couldn't finish the job with Justine last night."

"Oh, one of these days, you're going to WISH you hadn't pissed me off right now. One of these days-"

"-ENOUGH!" Everyone turned to Noah as he glared at everyone in the room. "Stop with the bitching, stop with the fighting and the sniping and listen to me!" His eyes blazing, he slowly scanned the room as everyone turned to him. "First of all, Sylar is going to stay, he's going to live for now so everyone here with a vendetta against him, including me, is going to have to put that on the backburner!" He glared at Sylar. "Sylar, talk to Bob when we get to Hartsdale. Try and be contrite, try and convince him that you're wanting to turn over a new leaf and maybe if you agree to help out with the Roger situation, he'll spare your life. Until then, don't talk." He turned to Miriam. "And the same goes for you. You're pissed because Sylar attacked you and your sisters, you're pissed because he and Justine have" Noah rolled his eyes "a 'rapport' for lack of a better word and you're pissed because he's Matt and Isabelle's brother. Get over it, get with the program or get the hell out and start running again." Miriam stared at the floor, contrite. "Now, first thing's first. Today and tonight, we're staying here. Tomorrow we're heading back to Hartsdale where EVERYONE will be thoroughly briefed on Roger and what needs to be done about the situation. Justine, Isabelle, if you want to renegotiate with Bob there, have at it, until then, I don't want to hear anything else about this, got it?" Justine nodded. "Once we get back to Hartsdale, you'll also be meeting the two other members of our team that are going to be joining us. They are Peter and Nathan Petrelli." As Sylar groaned, Noah glared at him. "What did I say about talking?" Sylar looked away. "We've got to bury the hatchets NOW people and NOT in each other's backs! Sylar, Isabelle, Justine, you don't know what's going on, but you will when we get to Hartsdale. All I can tell you is this: something's coming and it's bad. It can kill any one of you within a moment's notice and unless we can all stick together, put our differences aside for now and work together as a team, we'll all be killed. Can we do that?" Everyone nodded silently. "GOOD!" Noah took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Any vendettas we have can be taken care of once Roger has been taken out of play. Until then, we're a team and starting NOW we're going to act like it! If ANYONE has a problem with that" he pointed to the door of the room "start walking, then start running and hope to God that Bob can never find you." He turned to Elle. "And as for you-"

Elle's eyes widened. "-what did I do?"

Noah smiled softly. "Absolutely nothing. You sat here, you listened to everyone bitch and moan and you kept your cool. Thank you very much for that."

Elle beamed and ducked her head down, blushing. "You're welcome." She whispered.

Noah turned his attention back to the group. "Now, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm starving for some breakfast. Afterwards, I'm going to take a nap and then I've got plans tonight." He glanced over at Elle. "I know your father doesn't want me seeing my family Elle, but Sandra's on her way here. I haven't seen my wife in six months and I miss her terribly. I'm asking your permission to see her in private and in secret. Will you let me do that without bringing your father in on it?"

Elle shrugged. "That's cool. I get it. I thought Dad was way harsh for banning you from them anyway."

Noah smiled at her again. "Thank you, Elle."

"What do we do for the rest of the day?" Miriam asked softly.

"Whatever you want as long as it doesn't include killing each other." Noah shrugged. "And as tired as I am, I almost don't care if the lot of you even resort to THAT." As everyone stood and headed for the door, Noah dug in his pocket for the keys to the SUV, tossing them to Miriam. "Your turn to drive, since you were 'interrupted' from the task earlier." He watched everyone file out of the room and followed them, pinching the bridge of his nose in exhaustion and annoyance. "This is going to be a long couple of weeks." He muttered to himself.

After breakfast, Miriam dropped Noah off at the hotel and drove with everyone else towards a nearby mall. Matt and Sylar glared at one another while Miriam, Justine, Isabelle and Elle made their way into a store. Finally, Matt sighed. "Think one of the restaurants here has a bar?"

"It's a little early to be drinking, isn't it?" Sylar asked.

Matt shrugged as he turned and headed off. "It's five o'clock somewhere." He turned back to Sylar. "You staying here to hold purses and listen to how everything makes their eyes 'pop' or are you going to come with me?"

Sylar nodded. "Fine. Let's go have a few drinks."

* * *

In the store, Miriam held up a hot pink dress, holding it up to Elle. "Oooh! That will look good on you!"

"You think?" Elle made a face. "I don't know."

"Are you kidding me? With that tiny figure and skin tone, this dress is going to pop on you!" Miriam shoved her towards a dressing room. "Try it on and have a blast."

"But where would I wear it?" Elle stared at the low-cut top to it.

"OUT! You could wear it out to clubs, you could wear it out to dinner, you could wear it on a date." Miriam nodded.

"I don't date and I don't go out." Elle started to hand the dress back to Miriam. "Put it back."

"Absolutely not!" Miriam stared at Elle as she looked away, uncomfortable. "You dated Mohinder, didn't you?"

"Barely. I had to fight like hell with Daddy to get him to let me go out. He says that I'm not appropriately behaved enough to spend time in public and given my power and my" she rolled her eyes "mental instability, no one in his right mind would want to date me."

Miriam sighed. "Elle, why would you listen to him?"

"Because he's my father, duh!"

"And how old are you again?"

Elle shrugged. "Twenty-four. I'll be twenty-five in a couple of weeks."

"And you still listen to everything 'Daddy' says to you?" Miriam set the dress aside and sat in a chair, pulling one up beside her for Elle. "You really have been sheltered, being raised by the company for most of your life, haven't you?" Elle stared at the floor. "God, you need a girl friend in the worst way!"

Elle stared at Miriam. "I'm NOT a lez! Sheesh!"

Miriam rolled her eyes. "Not a GIRLFRIEND, a girl friend, someone to hang out with, talk to, talk with about men and clothes and shoes. I've always had a built-in girl friend by having a twin, but you never really had anyone to confide in and hang with, did you?" Elle shrugged and looked away. "Oh Honey, you're really missing out. There's a big world out there, okay? You need friends to navigate it, not just a daddy who whispers crippling bull shit in your ear. He said that no one in his right mind would date you, right? Okay, would you say that Mohinder wasn't in his right mind? He seems a little naïve, but he also seems to be a fairly intelligent man who has dated a time or two in his past. Why do you think he dated you?"

"Sex." Elle sighed. "I gave it freely, willingly and freakily whenever he wanted it."

"So you what, think that's all you have to offer?" Elle nodded as Miriam shook her head. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me here! Sex is NOT all you have to offer, okay? You're pretty, you've got a very wicked sense of humor, and you're smart."

"I'm not smart." Elle shook her head.

"You found me and my sisters after we went into hiding didn't you? Would BOB have found us?"

"I stumbled across you three because I was following Matt."

"And WHY were you following Matt? You knew that if he found out where WE were, he wouldn't be able to stay away. Hell, I let him go home with me and spend the night because I didn't think that anyone from the company would ever think of following him. Justine warned me that might happen, but I didn't think so. That was pretty smart thinking, Elle."

"The only reason you let him come home with you was because you were horny." Elle muttered.

"That's not the only reason. It was a big reason sure, but it wasn't the only reason. Izzie became pretty withdrawn after we ran, what with the running and finding Mom's body. I wanted to see the 'old' Izzie again and he brought that out. The point is, I think I'm a pretty smart cookie, but you outsmarted me, Elle. Plus, you got the drop on me in that bank parking lot-"

"-you were about to collapse on your own. You were sick."

"I fought Sylar in that condition, didn't I? What? You think if you hadn't snuck up on me when you did, if you hadn't surprised me, I wouldn't have been able to kick your ass? I was running on adrenaline, fear and rage, I would have beaten you to a pulp before I'd collapsed. You got the drop on me and brought me down, most people wouldn't have been able to do that." Miriam tucked a strand of long blond hair behind Elle's ear. "You really need to stop listening to the crap your father spews in your ear and start giving yourself more credit. And STOP thinking that kinky sex is all you have to offer men, okay? Show some self-respect! You know what we're going to do tonight while Noah's getting busy with the wife?" Elle shook her head as she turned to stare at Miriam. "You, me and Juss are going out to hit a few bars and give you a TON of pointers on how to flirt with men WITHOUT trying to get into their pants! We're going to give you a few lessons on male-female interactions and get that self-esteem soaring, got it?" Elle slowly nodded as Miriam grinned and handed her the dress. "Now go try that on while I look for something to wear too." She turned to Justine as she walked up with Isabelle, toting an armload of clothes. "You, me and Elle are hitting some bars tonight to give her a few lessons on how to handle men."

"Cool." Justine nodded.

Elle stood and headed towards the dressing room. She turned to Miriam, frowning. "Why are you being so nice to me?" She asked.

Miriam grinned. "Because you're LETTING me!"

As Elle walked into the dressing room, Justine stared at Miriam. Why ARE you being so nice to her?"

"She needs friends, Juss. Her dad treats her like a dog and she spends all her time around him, when she's not being used by men. Girl needs girl friends in the worst way, seriously!" Miriam shrugged. "Besides, I see a lot of myself in her."

"True." Justine nodded as she smiled wryly at her twin. "Both of you are pretty, tough and have huge-ass chips on your shoulders. You're a friendship match made in hell."

"Kiss my ass, black pot." Miriam smirked.

"So it has nothing whatsoever with maybe sticking it to Bob? She IS his daughter, after all."

Miriam sighed. "At first? Yeah, it was about sticking it to Bob. Having her on our side wouldn't be the worst thing. Now? I realize that girl really needs friends. Pissing Bob off is just a bonus."

"Lovely." Justine turned to Isabelle. "Ready to check out? We've got you enough color-coordinated outfits to keep you from wigging out for the next couple of weeks." Isabelle nodded and turned back to Miriam, watching her over her shoulder as she followed Justine to the cash register. Miriam smiled at Isabelle and winked at her, her smile broadening as Isabelle nodded, smiling back.

Miriam turned and whistled as Elle walked out in the dress. "Yeah, I'm DEFINITELY going to have to do some shopping if I'm going to compete with you tonight!"

Elle blushed and rolled her eyes. "You have Matt."

"I can still shop, I just can't buy, Honey." Miriam turned to a rack of clothes. "Besides, it's not like I'm married to the guy."

Elle frowned. "I thought you guys were pretty serious." Miriam shrugged as she dug through a rack of dresses. "Miriam, that letter you left him? He kept it in a wallet with that picture of you and your sisters. I saw it the day before he flew off to Seattle, I made fun of him about it, actually. It was worn and looked like it was about to fall apart, like maybe he'd read it every day since he'd gotten it?" Miriam glanced over at Elle, then looked away uncomfortably. "He obviously thought about you and your sisters every day and worried about all of you every day. Just watching the two of you over the last couple of days, it's pretty obvious that he's head over heels for you and you seem to be digging him quite a lot too. I know I give him shit and I really gave him seven kinds of hell when Mo and I were dating, but he really is a good, decent guy. If you're just in this to get laid, if you're just treating whatever this is between you like a fling, you're going to hurt him in the end. He's in love with you."

"I know." Miriam said softly. "And I'm in love with him too. It's just complicated."

"How?" Elle asked.

"Right now, it's all hearts and flowers and this great, wonderful heady feeling that happens when you first fall in love. The sex is great, feelings are running high and happy, but what happens down the road? I'm not going to age, Elle. You saw my father. The guy's over four hundred years old and he still looks like a wet-behind the ears kid. The same's going to happen to me. I'm going to look like this for eternity. Matt's going to age, he's going to get older and he's going to die. What if he wants to get married? What if he wants kids with me? How would we explain to them why Daddy's getting gray hair while Mommy still looks like a young woman? How would we explain to OTHERS why I look younger while he gets older? Eventually the children are going to be older physically than I am. They'll resent the hell out of that, I'm sure. I'd have to end up telling people I was their young, trophy-wife stepmother just to keep the secret. I'd resent the hell out of that one myself. People one day would think that Matt was a dirty old man and that I was a gold-digging bimbo or something equally stupid. And then he'd die, and the kids would die, and the grandkids and so on and so forth and here I'll be, looking like this."

Elle sighed. "That would suck the big one." She turned to Miriam. "Okay, so explaining the whole 'Mommy doesn't age thing' would be weird, but you and Matt both have powers, the kids would also most definitely end up with them as well. They'll understand. It'll be just as weird having a dad who can read their minds as it will be having a mom who doesn't age, not to mention one that does all the other stuff you can do. Hell, for all you'd know, they'd end up mimics like you and then all it would take would be one touch and they'd be just as immortal as you are."

"Yeah, that's definitely something I want to pass on: a life sentence with no end in sight." Miriam shook her head. "What I'm saying is that right now, love is great and things are wonderful, but I can't stop thinking about what I'm going to have to deal with down the road."

Elle's eyes narrowed. "You're planning on bailing on him, aren't you?"

"I don't know."

"Okay, you say I need a girl friend. Obviously you do too. You need someone to tell you that if you're stupid enough to let a guy like Matt go for the cockamamie, weak-ass reasons you've just given me, you're a rotten bitch who deserves to be alone for eternity." Elle stared down at her dress. "If you're going to dump him down the road, do him a favor and just do it now before he falls for you harder than he already has. Sure, it'll hurt if you do it now, but it's nothing compared to what you'll do if you let him get his hopes up just to dash them later, and I'm saying this to you as a friend."

She turned and walked into the dressing room as Miriam pulled out a dress, studying it. She set the dress aside and closed her eyes. "Fuck." She muttered to herself.

* * *

Matt rubbed his eyes as he drank his beer. "Okay, favorite football team. Go."

"Steelers." Sylar nodded as he drank his beer. "Hands-down awesome." At Matt's annoyed look, he sighed. "Let me guess, you're a Giants fan."

"You're shitting me, right? The Patriots, man! They're awesome!"

"They suck!" Sylar shook his head. "The Steelers, all the way."

"Whatever. I'm saying it now, the Patriots are going to the Super Bowl this year and the Steelers aren't going to shit." He shook his head. "Baseball team."

"Pirates." Sylar nodded. "They're the shit."

"They ARE shit, not THE shit!" Matt stared in shock at Sylar. "Pirates? Really? You're going with them?"

"Okay smart-ass, who's YOUR favorite team?" Sylar smirked. "Oh, let me guess. Yankees?"

"Red Sox. They're kick-ass." Matt nodded. "They reversed the curse and they're playing like champs!"

Sylar rolled his eyes. "They're overrated."

"Whatever." He turned and beamed as Miriam entered with her sisters and Elle, all of them laden down with bags. "And there's my girl!" He kissed Miriam as Elle looked away, shaking her head. "Get anything for me?"

"I might have gotten you a few things." Miriam winked. "But I'M wearing them."

"Oh really?" Matt grinned. "So it's like that, huh? You got something that I'm going to tear off of you within five seconds of you wearing it?"

"With your teeth, hopefully." Miriam nuzzled him as Sylar rolled his eyes. "Ready to head back to the hotel?"

"Of course. Care for a nooner?" He turned to Sylar. "You and Noah can disappear for a few, right?"

"Not so you can bang HER!" Sylar glared at Miriam. "Gotta look out for the big brother, right?"

Miriam shrugged. "Yeah, like you actually give two shits."

"You never know." Sylar studied Matt. "We've been bonding. Who knows? We could end up playing catch in a park before long."

"Maybe, but we won't be going to any football or baseball games any time soon." Matt turned to Miriam. "He likes the Pirates and the Steelers."

"Ugh! I'm a Giants and Yankees girl all the way!" As Sylar snorted, she glared at him. "What?"

"Nothing. You two are SO made for each other, really." Sylar turned to Justine. "What do you say we hang out when these two inevitably disappear together to play 'hide the salami' and when you start moaning, I hand you an ax so you can chop off your foot." He smirked at Miriam. "Turnabout's fair play, right?"

"I think I could power my way through it. Unlike Justine, I actually CARE about the guy I'M with."

"Shut up, Miriam." Justine turned to Sylar. "Got that ax? I'll so take you up on that offer. My foot will grow back and it'll be interesting to be able to track where they're getting bouncy by the shrieks of pain while Miriam 'powers' her way through."

Miriam turned to Matt, shrugging. "We'll have to put it on ice for a while anyway. Elle, Juss and I are going to hit a few bars later."

"Why?" Matt frowned.

"Give Elle a few pointers on flirting." Miriam kissed him. "Don't worry, I'll come back home to you without any guy stink on me. I'll just be a little drunk and you know how easy I am when I'm drinking."

"Oh, now that's a fun thought." Matt stood and paid the bar tab before walking out with the rest of the group. "You are pretty wild when you've had a few. I should know."

"I KNEW that was how you got her into bed." Sylar smirked.

"Only the first time, and he didn't make the first move, I did." Miriam glared at him.

"Yeah, that's what he'd like YOU to think." Sylar glanced over at Justine, winking at her as she blushed and looked away.

Elle watched Miriam and Matt as they held hands and kissed. She shook her head and glanced over at Isabelle. "Your brother's really going to be in for it unless Big Sis there changes her tune."

"She'll be fine." Isabelle said softly. "They both will."


	15. Chapter 15: HookUps

Chapter Fifteen: Hook-Ups

October 6, 2007

_I hold on so nervously  
To me and my drink, I wish it was cooling me  
But so far has not been good  
It's been shitty  
And I feel awkward as I should_

"I don't know WHY we're here again." Elle looked around the night club nervously as she entered with Miriam and Justine. She fidgeted with the hot pink dress that Miriam had talked her into buying, making a face. 

"You're telling me that you've never been to a night club? NEVER?" Miriam frowned as Elle shook her head. "Damn, seriously?"

"What?" Elle shrugged. "I've been busy."

"You never took time out to do this?" 

"With WHO, huh?" Elle made a face as she scanned the club, staring as people slipped off to corners together when they weren't dancing. "Besides, Daddy didn't let me go out much unless I was on a tag and bag mission."

"You never heard of sneaking out?" Miriam sighed as she and Justine pulled a reluctant Elle towards the bar. She slapped her hand on the bar, grinning. "Three four horsemen shooters please."

"What's in that?" Elle asked softly.

"Alcohol." Justine grabbed her drink, grinning. "That's all you need to know."

Elle took a sip of her drink and made a face. "Is there anything in it BESIDES alcohol?" 

"Just drink it and loosen up!" Miriam nodded. "And slam it, it's a shot, not a cocktail, Sweetie." She nodded with approval as Elle slammed her drink and set the shot glass down, making a face. "Good girl." She and Justine slammed back their shots and turned to the bartender. "Three more of the same, please and keep them coming." 

"Thank God Matt's coming to get us." Elle hiccupped as she slammed her second shot. "Seriously, what's in this?"

"Goldschlager and Jagermeister." Miriam scanned the bar. "One day, I'll let you try an Irish Car Bomb."

"What's in THAT?" Elle goggled.

"Liquor, and lots of it." Miriam and Justine spotted a man sitting alone at the bar and glanced at each other before turning to Elle. "Ready to begin your lesson in how to flirt?"

Elle shrugged as she gulped down her third shot, coughing. "M'kay." She nodded.

* * *

Noah paced the floor of the motel room he'd rented across the street from the hotel where the rest of the team was staying, checking his watch nervously. He ran his fingers through his hair, checking his reflection in a mirror. He turned as he heard a knock on the door and quickly ran to it, trying not to laugh out loud with happiness as he opened the door to see Sandra standing in front of him. "Come in." He said, trying to compose himself.

Sandra slowly walked in, running her own fingers through her hair, appearing to be as nervous as Noah felt. He noticed that she was wearing a lightweight dark blue sweater and smiled as he remembered that it had been one of his favorites on her. She glanced over at him. "You look good." 

"So do you." He breathed. "How have you been?"

"Good. You?" Sandra chewed on her bottom lip for a moment.

"Horrible." Noah drank his wife in with eyes, remembering the last time he'd seen her and how heartbroken they both had been as he'd told her and their children about the deal he'd made to keep them safe, the price being that he had to stay out of their lives. "I've missed you and our children so much."

"We've missed you too." Sandra nodded slowly, tears springing to her eyes. "Oh Noah-" She stepped towards him, stroking his cheek. Noah closed his eyes and leaned his face against her hand, savoring the feeling of her fingers on his cheek. Sandra stifled a sob as Noah's hand covered her own. "I've missed you so much." 

Choking back a sob of his own, Noah pulled Sandra into his arms, hugging her tightly as they kissed each other. 

* * *

Elle sat between Miriam and Justine at the bar, listening as they both spoke to her telepathically.

_Now, just look over at him and smile softly, okay?_ She heard Miriam's voice ring in her head.

Elle turned and studied the man that they indicated, smiling softly at him as she caught his eye. He smiled back at her.

_Good. Now, raise your drink just slightly and nod to him._ Justine prodded.

Elle raised her drink and nodded to the guy. She grinned as he nodded back to her and raised his drink.

_Very good. Now, in a few minutes, if he's interested, he'll probably come over. _Miriam told her. _Make small talk with him. Ask him about his interests, ask him his name, basically just have a simple conversation with him. DON'T bring up sex! Just get to know him, okay? If he asks to buy you a drink, accept, but don't you dare think that him buying you a drink means you owe him a piece of ass or even a blowjob, you don't even owe him the pleasure of your conversation if you don't want to talk to him, got it? YOU'RE the one in control here. YOU set the pace. You're just getting to know him, that's all._

Elle nodded softly as she noticed the guy walking over to him. She turned away from the bar to smile softly at him as he reached her. "Hi." She said softly.

"Hey there." He studied her for a moment and held out his hand. "I'm Rod, and you are-?"

"Horny as hell!" Elle giggled. "Wanna ditch this place and rock your backseat?" 

"ELLE! DAMMIT!" Miriam spun around and glared at her companion. "That's NOT how you do it!" 

"Really?" Rod nodded. "I wish most girls offered that after I said 'hi'." He held out his hand. "My car's right outside."

Miriam grabbed Elle's arm. "She's staying here and you're leaving."

"What are you, her mother?" Rod glared at her. "She offered-"

"-And now I have a counter-offer. Step off before I put my foot in your ass." Miriam glared at him as Justine turned, crossing her arms in front of her chest to glare at the guy. Elle stared at the floor, her cheeks turning red as Miriam's eyes narrowed at the man. "Step the fuck off!" 

"Bitches! You're probably all lesbians anyway!" He muttered as he walked off.

"Guys like you make us wish we could be sometimes, trust me!" Miriam yelled as he left the bar. She turned to Elle. "What the hell?"

Elle shrugged. "I choked."

"You CHOKED? I just said to make small talk and NOT bring up sex not five seconds before he showed up, how could you choke?" Miriam sighed.

"I don't know, I just did." Elle shook her head. "I'm not good at this, you two." She turned to Miriam. "I told you, guys aren't going to want to make small talk, I don't have that to offer, okay?" She pointed to her body. "THIS is all I have to offer guys, trust me."

"That's bullshit!" Miriam closed her eyes. "Elle, you have more to offer guys than just sex, okay? Now, try with another guy and I swear to GOD, if you offer to do anything but just talk and share a drink, I'm going to put my foot in YOUR ass, and I know that after that freak Thompson you're used to stuff up there, but I doubt my foot is as tiny as his dick probably was."

"True that." Elle nodded and turned back to the bar as Miriam and Justine scanned around for another guy. "He really did have a tiny little cock." 

"TMI." Justine groaned. She waved to the bartender. "If my companion's gonna be talking like this, I'm going to need another drink." 

The bartender walked over and set another drink down in front of Justine. "So someone's talking dirty over here, huh?" He laughed softly as he turned to Elle. "It's not YOU now, is it?" 

_Flirt! Flirt! But don't offer to fuck him, I swear to GOD! _Miriam prodded her.

Elle blushed as she shrugged. "Who me? I wouldn't know what a dirty word was if I heard it." She leaned forward slowly. "I'm Elle, by the way."

"Jeff." The bartender nodded, smiling at her. "It's nice to meet you, Elle. What brings you to the Napa Valley?" 

"Vacation with my cousins!" Elle grinned. "We thought we'd do some wine-tasting, hit a few bars, have a girly weekend just the three of us." 

"Cool." As the bartender continued to talk to Elle, Miriam nodded softly. _Good girl._

* * *

Sylar sighed as Isabelle beat him at another round of checkers. "You must have finally figured out my strategy, huh?" Isabelle shrugged silently as she began to set the board up again. "You want to play again?"

"I'll play." Matt offered as he lay stretched out on the bed. "There's nothing on TV."

"You wanna play me or the checkers-shark here?" Sylar asked.

"Isabelle. Winner plays you." Matt stood up and walked towards the table.

"How about WE play and then the WINNER plays Isabelle?" Sylar shrugged. "Odds are, I'll beat you. I've beaten Isabelle a time or two and you haven't." 

"So? Maybe you just got lucky." Matt sat across from Sylar as Isabelle watched them both, her dark brown eyes gleaming with interest.

"Yeah, right. Like I told Iz here earlier, I used to play checkers in the park all the time while my dad played chess." Sylar frowned. "Should I still call him my dad? I mean-"

"-Did he raise you? Did he treat you like a father and love you like you were his son?" Matt asked.

"Yeah. He did." Sylar nodded, his expression pensive.

"Then I think he earned the title of 'Dad', don't you?" Matt made his move on the checkers board. "Trust me, like I told YOU earlier, you didn't miss out on jack shit by not having Maury around. You were better off. Hey, from what you've said, your dad was at least there for you and was supportive, Maury was just an asshole who made me feel inferior." 

Sylar made a move and studied Matt. "You don't call him 'Dad'?"

"Fuck no." Matt made a face. "He walked out on me and my mom when I was thirteen. I didn't see him again until six months ago. He was Adam Munroe's henchman, working with him to try and kill Angela Petrelli and Bob Bishop."

"Adam Munroe." Sylar watched Matt make a move and followed with his own. "Miriam and Justine's father." 

"Yeah." Matt shook his head. "I guess we all crapped out in the bio-dad department."

"Sounds like." Sylar followed Matt's move with a counter move, frowning. "You don't know what happened to Munroe, do you?" 

Matt shook his head as he studied the board. "The one and only time I saw him was when he tried to release a deadly mutation of the Shanti Virus in Odessa about six months ago. He had manipulated Peter Petrelli into helping him release it, so I went there with Nathan Petrelli to stop them. We met this guy named Hiro Nakamura there-" Matt smirked at Sylar. "-I'm sure you remember HIM." 

"Japanese guy with a sword?" Sylar grimaced as he rubbed his chest. "Yeah, I remember him."

"Hiro teleported somewhere with Adam. They disappeared. Hiro later turned up in Japan where he's still working in his father's company under his sister. Adam has never been seen since." 

"NO ONE knows where he is?" Sylar asked nonchalantly as he followed Matt's moves with moves of his own on the board. He glanced over at Isabelle, noticing the way she frowned at him. He shrugged at her, smiling sheepishly as Matt continued to speak.

"Not that I know of, no." Matt sighed. "God only knows where that asshole is now." 

"Right." Sylar jumped the last of Matt's men, grinning. "And I win!"

"Fine." Matt stood and walked back over to the bed, lying down. "I'm just waiting for the girls to call for their designated driver."

"Sore loser." Sylar mugged at Isabelle as she took Matt's seat and started to play with him. "Let's see who kicks who's ass in THIS game, little lady!"

Matt tucked his arms behind his head, smiling softly as he watched Sylar play checkers with Isabelle.

* * *

"So you're from New York, huh?" Jeff leaned on his elbows as he talked to Elle. "You're DEFINITELY a long way from home, aren't you?"

Elle giggled softly. "You could say that." She smiled up at him. "I came to visit my cousins in Seattle and we decided to take the weekend to drink some wine and have some fun."

Jeff winked at her. "Now honestly, what kind of fun can you have around here that you couldn't have had in New York or Seattle?"

"The kind of fun that comes with a change of scenery." Elle returned the wink.

Jeff started to respond and groaned as his fellow bartender smacked him in the back with a bar towel. "Come on, Dude! I can't do all of this alone!" He told him. 

Jeff sighed. "I'll be right back." He turned and walked over to his fellow bartender to mix drinks for the rest of the crowd as Elle grinned at Miriam and Justine.

"Well? How am I doing?" She asked.

Miriam nodded. "You're doing great. Just remember-"

"-I know, I know. Don't offer him sex." Elle turned to Justine. "I'm really doing well?"

Justine grinned at her. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were a natural at flirting."

"Awesome." Elle took a swig of her drink. "I can't wait to try this out when I get back home." She stared at the twins. "You're both gonna go hit a few bars in Manhattan with me when we get back, right?"

"Honey, we'll drag your butt all OVER Manhattan if that's what it takes." Miriam nodded.

"Good. I want to make sure I have this flirting stuff down before we go off to track down Roger." Elle blushed as Miriam studied her. 

"You've got someone specific in mind to flirt with, don't you?" Miriam asked her.

"Maybe." Elle fiddled with the straw in her drink as her blush deepened. "I met someone about a year ago that I really liked. I thought he liked me back, but I found out he was just using me-"

"-Oh Elle, don't keep trying to get the guy who just used you once, you're better than that." Miriam shook her head.

"Mir's right. You don't need some guy who used you once." Justine agreed.

"Can I finish my sentence before you two start poo-pooing this guy? He used me to escape, okay? Dad and I were holding him in Hartsdale. I had a serious thing for him and he used that against me, but he was still a good and decent guy at heart, he just wanted to get away and help his brother." Elle frowned. "When he got away though, he took someone with him, someone who ended up-" She glanced up at the twins, her eyes sad. "-He escaped with your father and he went out and killed a few people, including your mother."

"Wait a minute." Miriam's eyes narrowed. "You're telling me you have a thing for Peter Petrelli?" Miriam made a face as Elle nodded and ducked her head down. "Ugh, you can do better than that little shithead." 

"You've never met him." Elle whispered.

"I don't have to meet him, okay? I've seen pictures. He looks like a whiny-ass emo brat. Besides, he was involved in my mother's death. I can never forgive him for that shit."

"Mir," Justine sighed "you know what Angela said-"

"-I couldn't give two shits what Angela said, okay? I promised her that I wouldn't retaliate and kill him for his part in it, and I'm keeping that promise because Angela helped us, but I won't be friends with that little bastard, okay? You're telling me the entire time he was around Adam, he didn't read his mind ONCE and realized what he was up to? He's been around Matt, he knows how to read minds. He didn't stop for one second to maybe give a listen to what was going on in Adam's head and realize that he was up to no good? Asshole." Miriam gulped down her drink, grimacing. 

"He really IS a good guy." Elle nodded. "Hell, he toyed with my emotions and hurt me by escaping and making me look like a total chump and I still forgave him."

"Let's see how forgiving you are when he's involved in the death of a beloved parent." Miriam growled.

Justine shook her head. "Mir, from everything I've heard, Peter's a decent guy. He just got into some trouble." 

"Fine, whatever." Miriam rolled her eyes. "You two can be besties with him and braid each other's hair, he'd just better not look to me for help once we get out together to hunt Roger." 

"I wonder something." Elle stared at the twins. "Since the three of you have similar powers, what'll happen when you get into a room together? Will he absorb your powers and cancel his out or will he cancel you two out if you touch him?" As Miriam and Justine stared blankly at her, Elle sighed. "HE can absorb other powers by being in the same room with someone. YOU TWO have to touch someone first. When he's in the room with you two, will he gain your power and find himself unable to absorb anymore unless he touches people, or will you two find yourselves able to just absorb powers by being in the vicinity of others like him instead of having to touch them?"

"Hell if I know." Miriam shrugged. "We'd probably just cancel each other out to an extent, maybe? I hope I DON'T get his power. I like regulating what I get and when. I don't want to just collect powers willy-nilly by simply being around others that have them."

"Seriously?" Justine smirked. "I'd have figured you'd jump at the chance to do that. You're pretty power-hungry."

"I'm not THAT power-hungry! If I were, I would have been really touchy-feely with Hiro Nakamura when I went to Tokyo to track down Adam, but I kept my hands to myself. There ARE some powers out there that I don't want, thank you very much and time-travel is one of them. That power would be way too dangerous in my hands."

"Well, well, well, you learn something new every day." Justine mused. "And just when I thought I knew everything about you."

"You don't know EVERYTHING about me. We're identical twins, but we're not the same person." Miriam shrugged. 

"You never DID tell me what happened in Tokyo. You've only given a few cryptic remarks about Adam. Did you find him?" Justine asked.

"Yep." Miriam nodded.

"And? Where is he?"

"In hell." Miriam smiled wickedly.

"So he's dead?" Elle asked.

"No, but he's in hell all the same and he'll stay there until I'm good and ready to send him to hell for real." Miriam raised an eyebrow. "I think he should stay where he is for now and think about what he's done." 

"For how long?" Justine asked.

"A hundred years or so should have him good and whacked out for a little bit of torture, before I send him back to his jail for a hundred years again. Then I'll later, rinse and repeat for a millennium or two until I get bored and kill him." 

"That's pretty fucking hardcore." Elle stared at Miriam. "How do you think he's going to stay put for a hundred years?"

"No one else knows where he is but me and Hiro and I seriously doubt anyone's going to go looking for him." Miriam shrugged. "Even if they did, they'd never find him, not where he's been hidden away."

"Where IS he?" Justine asked.

"I'll show you in a hundred years." Miriam grinned. She elbowed Elle as Jeff began to head back over towards her. "Heads up, time to flirt again."

* * *

"So tell me about the kids. How are they?" Noah whispered as he lay in bed with Sandra draped over him, both of them snuggling together sleepily under the covers.

"They're good. Lyle's making good grades and so is Claire." Sandra lifted her head from Noah's chest for a moment. "You know she broke up with that boy."

"West?" Noah sighed as Sandra nodded. "Why?"

"Before you showed up, you know Claire was planning on taking your files and exposing that damn company. West didn't want her to do it. They had a big fight and he left. He kept trying to call her afterwards when she didn't come forward and talk to her, but she was still pretty upset with him. He sent flowers, called, came by, but she didn't want anything else to do with the boy. It's a pity, really. He was a good kid."

"Yeah, he was." Noah shook his head softly. "I hate that. I wasn't too thrilled that they were dating at first, for obvious reasons-"

"-that painting-" Sandra nodded.

"-yes, the painting." Noah frowned. "But the boy really came through for me in the end. He helped me grab Elle and use her to get Claire back and he helped Claire escape after I was shot. I really ended up liking him quite a lot. I hate that they're not seeing each other still. He was good for her."

"Well as I live and breathe, did Daddy's Girl finally pick a boy that pleased her daddy?" Sandra teased.

"Yes, she did." Noah shrugged. "Too bad he disappointed Claire in the end. Have you talked to her about it? She should forgive him, you know. He was just scared."

"I tried to explain that to her. She said he wasn't scared, just selfish. He didn't want the secret about their powers coming out, not because he was scared that he'd be ostracized or treated like a freak, but because he LIKED having a secret, apparently." Sandra shook her head as she snuggled against Noah. "I think I can see where he's coming from. Secrets can be fun." She lifted her head and winked at Noah. "Like this, meeting in secret? I like it."

"I'm glad. Where did you tell them you were going?"

"I told them I had a dog show for Mr. Muggles. I dropped him off at a kennel about a mile from here. I'll pick him back up in the morning." 

"So you can stay all night?" Noah grinned at her.

"As long as you need me." Sandra nodded.

"Good. I'll need you all night." Noah kissed her softly.

* * *

October 7, 2007

Matt's eyes widened as he stepped into the bar and saw Miriam, Justine and Elle giggling drunkenly and leaning on each other as they laughed and joked with the bartender. Frowning, he headed towards them. "Someone call for their designated driver?" 

"Did we?" Miriam stared drunkenly at him.

"Yeah, you did." Justine nodded. "Twenty minutes ago, remember? Jeff here said that last call was about to happen, so you called Matt."

"Oh yeah." Miriam nodded. "Ready to go?" She turned to Elle and smirked as Elle continued to flirt with Jeff. "Hey 'cuz' you ready to go?"

Elle sighed. "I suppose." She turned to Jeff. "It was great meeting you. If you're ever in New York, look me up."

"Sure thing." Jeff nodded to Matt. "Looks like you've got your hands full. These three are quite a wild bunch."

Matt grinned. "I know." He helped Miriam off of her barstool and walked with her towards the car, Justine and Elle stumbling behind them. "Have fun?"

"Yep! And we gave Elle a few lessons in flirting. She got off to a rocky start, but she's a champ at it now."

"I can flirt with the best of them!" Elle giggled. "Peter Petrelli, look out!" 

"Ugh! I told you, Elle. You can do better than that emo whiny jackass!" Miriam sighed as she turned to Matt. "Elle has a thing for Peter."

"Well, that should make for an interesting time while we're hunting Roger." Matt turned to Elle. "Are you going to try and trap him with your feminine wiles?"

"Better believe it!" Elle nodded as she climbed into the SUV and lay in the back seat, her head in Justine's lap. "Is the car spinning?"

"No." Justine patted Elle's forehead. "You're just drunk." 

"You probably should make her sit up." Miriam sat in the front passenger seat, closing her eyes as she leaned against the head rest. "Otherwise she's going to spew all over the car."

"I'll be okay." Elle murmured softly.

"Right. Uh-huh." Miriam sighed as Matt climbed into the driver's seat and drove towards the hotel. As soon as they pulled up in the parking lot, Elle stumbled out of the vehicle and began to throw up behind it as Miriam sighed. "At least she's not barfing in the car."

"Oh God! Why did I drink so much?" Elle moaned.

"Because we made you." Justine sighed and helped Elle towards their room. "Come on. Let's pour you into bed with a trash can by your bed. You'll feel like shit in the morning, but at least you had fun tonight, right?"

"I did." Elle nodded as Justine helped her up the stairs. "I had a blast tonight. You guys are awesome. I can't believe I hated you when I first met all of you."

"You were supposed to hate us, that's what your dad wanted." Justine sighed.

"He's a dickhead! My daddy's a dickhead! He's always telling me stupid shit like 'you're not good enough to do this, Elle' and 'you're not strong enough to be out on your own, Elle' and 'you know you have issues, Elle'. Damn right I have issues! He's the REASON I have issues!" Miriam listened as Elle continued to slur drunkenly. "Noah told me what my daddy did to me, you know. He told me that Daddy experimented on me when I was just a kid and that it warped me. I didn't believe him at first, but now I have to wonder."

"Noah's right." Miriam said softly. Matt stared at her as she continued to talk. "When we went to Odessa to be tested, I overhead Noah thinking about what he'd done to you and Mom was reluctant to let Bob test any of us because of it. That's the day he drugged Izzie and caused her autism."

"Bastard. He messed with my head, he messed with Izzie's." Elle sighed. "I know he's my daddy and I love him because he's my daddy, but he's a shit person, you know?" She stared at Justine. "How old was Izzie when he tested her?"

"Two." Justine said sadly.

"Ass." Elle shook her head. "And now he's the head of everything when he should be like the janitor or something, just because he can make gold. I bet if he didn't have THAT power, he'd have been 'retired' years ago, if you catch my drift." She stared up at Justine. "Don't trust him, either of you. He's really got it in for you both, he's had it in for you for years. Miriam was smart to get what he promised in writing. He's not trustworthy. He's my daddy and I love him, but he's not trustworthy and he'll screw you guys over the first chance he gets." 

"We'll be careful." Justine assured her as she helped her into their room. 

"Good." Elle sighed as she stretched out on a bed. "You guys are great. I don't think I've ever really had friends before. I don't want Daddy to hurt you." She looked up at Matt as Miriam and Justine helped take her shoes off. "I'm sorry I've been a bitch to you. You're a cool guy too."

"Thanks." Matt watched as Elle closed her eyes and began to snore. "How much booze did you guys give her?"

"A lot." Miriam sighed. "I figured it would open her up, but I didn't know how much venom she'd end up spewing about Bob. I knew she had issues, but damn!"

"In vino veritas." Justine stretched out on the bed beside Elle. "You'll sleep with Izzie." She said to Miriam.

"Fine." Miriam looked around. "Where IS Izzie?"

"Having a checkers tournament with Sylar. They're both determined to beat the other, so every time one of them wins, they keep saying 'best out of five?'. They're up to 'best out of twenty' by now." Matt chuckled.

Miriam studied Matt, smiling softly. "So they'll be busy for a while, huh?"

Matt winked at her. "You could say that."

"Guys, please don't." Justine whispered. "I'd rather not have to make a mad dash to the bathroom tonight to scream into a towel."

"Sorry, I can't NOT be around my guy." Miriam took Matt's hand and grinned at him. "So many empty rooms, so many places to sneak around to."

"Lead the way." Matt smiled. He turned to Justine. "You may want to go ahead and bunk down in the bathroom for the night."

"Great." Justine groaned.

"See you in the morning." Miriam dashed out of the room with Matt as Justine sat up and shook her head. 

"Oh fuck this." She climbed out of the bed and placed a trashcan beside Elle before walking through the wall into the adjoining room that Sylar, Matt and Bennet were sharing. 

Sylar looked up at Justine and smiled as she walked into the room and stretched out on the bed. "How was your night?"

"Fine." She murmured softly. "Elle's passed out drunk."

"And your sister and my brother?" Sylar smirked as Justine rolled her eyes. "I see. So you'll be running to the bathroom soon, huh? Want me to grab an ax and chop off your foot when you start breathing hard to teach them a lesson?"

"No. I have more class than my sister, thank you." Justine whispered. She watched Isabelle for a moment, smiling at her. "You have fun with the brothers tonight?" 

Isabelle nodded softly. "I'm beating Gabriel."

"My name is Sylar." Sylar rolled his eyes. "And you're not beating me yet."

"Your name is really Gabriel and I'm winning." Isabelle made a move and grinned as she took the last of Sylar's men off of the board. "Tired now. Going to bed. I won twelve out of twenty, I win." 

"Oh COME ON!" Sylar groaned as Isabelle stood.

"Going to bed." She leaned over and pecked him on the cheek before carefully putting the game pieces and checkerboard back into its box and heading for the door.

Sylar smiled softly as he rubbed his cheek. "Goodnight, Iz."

"Goodnight Gabriel." 

"You're the only one I'm going to let call me that, you know!" He said as he watched Isabelle open the door. He turned as Justine stood and began to follow Isabelle. "And where are YOU going?" 

"It's late and I'm tired. I'm following my sister back to our room to crash." Justine stretched as she headed for the door.

"Wait!" Sylar followed her out onto the balcony and watched as Isabelle entered the room next door. He grabbed Justine's hand and shrugged. "Noah's off with Sandra, Matt's gone off with Miriam, Izzie's going to bed, I don't have anyone to talk to."

"I figured you'd prefer being alone." Justine leaned against the railing of the balcony as she studied Sylar. "You've been alone for the most part the last year until this week."

Sylar shrugged and looked away as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Just because I was alone doesn't mean I liked it. Besides, I've gotten used to being around people by being around you and Iz these last couple of days. I forgot how much I liked having people to talk to. I never had that much before. I was a loner in school and on my own most of the time. People thought I was weird and they thought my mom was a loon, so they didn't talk to me much. I got used to it, but I never liked it much. I really enjoyed the time I spent with Chandra Suresh, then Mohinder and later Maya. I liked having someone around to talk to."

"Being a killer can get pretty lonely, huh?" Justine studied him.

"I guess so." Sylar nodded softly. "Come on, let's hang out for a while."

Justine shook her head. "It's not a good idea."

"Why? Because of what happened the last time we 'hung out'?" 

"Maybe." Justine blushed. "We shouldn't have done that." 

"We were drunk." Sylar mumbled.

"I'm drunk now." Justine looked away. "Besides, I-"

"-you what?" Sylar looked over at her.

"I don't trust myself with you." Justine raised her eyes to meet his. "I'm a cop. I've always been the 'good girl' for the most part, with the exception of that time that I attacked Bob-"

"-I'd have done worse to him if I'd been there. He hurt Izzie."

"What I'm saying is that I've always been considered the 'good one' and I've always felt that I had to live up to that. I made straight A's, I went to college and got two degrees, I became a police detective and busted my ass to be respected as one and-"

"-and you think hanging out with a serial killer is a bad idea, right? Even if he helped save your life? Even if he's the half-brother to your baby sister and with the exception of attacking you when he first met you, has busted his ass to prove that he'd protect you and the sister you shared at all costs?" 

"You've got a bad habit of making people form attachments to you before you yank the rug out from under them and try to kill them." Justine stared into his eyes. "You made friends with Chandra Suresh and then you killed him. You made friends with Mohinder Suresh and tried to kill him. You made friends with Maya and her brother Alejandro, shall I tell you what happened then?"

Sylar sighed. "I killed Alejandro, fucked Maya and killed her the next day to see if Claire's blood could really regenerate her. Then I took off with the blood to heal myself." He shrugged. "Can I at least defend myself?"

"And just HOW are you going to defend yourself, Sylar?"

"Chandra was my friend. That much is true and I looked up to him. He reminded me of my father and I missed having a dad around. When he found out what I was doing-"

"-using his research as a means to kill others and collect their powers?" Justine quipped.

"Fine. Yes, when he found out about that, he didn't try to find out WHY I was doing it. He just wrote me off, cut me out like a cancer. I snapped."

"And that's when you killed him, right?" 

"Right." Sylar nodded. "Ditto with Mohinder and Maya. The minute they realized WHAT I was, that was it. They didn't care about me anymore, they didn't want anything else to do with me. They just wanted me dead."

"In their defense, you did kill their father and twin brother, respectively. Why DID you kill all those people?" Justine asked him.

"For the same reason Miriam goes all over the world to collect powers. I want to be able to defend myself against anyone that tries to hurt me. I spend my youth being bullied and knocked around, I never want that to happen again. I want to be special, truly special, and these powers make me that way. I want the potential to one day maybe be a hero. I'd love to know that I could save the world one day, if others would simply accept me and let me into their lives. That's all I want, it's all I've ever wanted."

"If you want acceptance, maybe you should stop killing others like yourself and start trying to get to know them and maybe be friends with them WITHOUT having a hidden agenda. You had an agenda with Chandra, Mohinder and even Maya. Hell, you had an agenda with helping me and Izzie, you didn't do it out of the goodness of your heart, you did it in the hopes that by helping me rescue Miriam and bring down the company branch of Odessa, you'd be able to go out and kill more easily without people tracking you down." Justine glared at him. "And that's the reason you'll never truly be accepted by anyone and why you'll always be alone. Until you can accept yourself and stop trying to play people and toy with their emotions, you'll never truly have friends, you'll never stop being alone. You're a killer. You'll always be a killer. I'm a cop. You make the connection as to what'll happen next."

Sylar stepped towards Justine and reached out, stroking her cheek. "I could change. These last few days around you and Isabelle, finding out that I have a brother and sister, it's made me feel less alone. It's starting to make me feel as special as having powers do. I could stop killing. I could join up with you and your merry band of avengers for good instead of just going along this once to find that Roger guy. I could start learning to be one of the good guys."

Justine pulled away from him, glaring. "You'll never be good, Sylar. It doesn't fit you. You see yourself as this solitary predator, and that will never change. YOU'LL never change. A lone wolf doesn't suddenly see a pack of wolves and thing 'hey that looks cool, I'll join up with them'. He kills the males, bangs the females and hauls ass to continue to hunt alone. That's you. That's how you are and how you'll always be. Finding Isabelle and Matt and bonding with them might make you think you can change for the moment, but you'll get tired soon and either go off on your own from boredom or toy with them first, then try to kill them and the rest of us before you go off to do what you do best, cause destruction and death, if we don't kill you first."

"You think you know me so well, don't you?" Sylar purred as he stepped even closer, grinning as Justine tried to edge past him. His hand shot out, grasping her upper arm to stop her as he leaned forward, his lips brushing her ear. "I'll change. I'll be as gentle as a kitten to prove it, not just to you, but to my brother and our sister. I'll show you and everyone else that I can be a good guy for once."

"You'll never be good, Sylar." Justine hissed. "You're only saying this because-"

"-why? Because I want to get into your pants, fuck you?" His deep chuckle filled Justine's ear, making her heart pound. "I do want to do that, yes. I want to do that very badly." She shuddered as his hand left her arm and found its way to her waist, sliding under her shirt to stroke a sensitive spot on her lower back, his lips curling into a grin as Justine moaned softly. "And you want me to, no matter what you might tell me. Your heart is pounding, your temperature is rising and your breathing has quickened. Am I doing that, or is it a side-effect of what Miriam and Matt are doing." He lifted his head, cocking it for a moment before laughing softly. "I can hear them, you know. They're just a few doors down, but I can hear them as if they were screwing right in front of me. They're not into the main event yet, but judging from the moans I'm hearing from my brother, your sister is doing quite a job on him, and I DO mean job." He leaned towards Justine again, his fingers kneading her back as she trembled against him. "You can hear them too, can't you? You can hear Matt moaning, hear the sounds of what Miriam's doing to him, her breath quickening as he gasps and whispers her name. I can hear their heartbeats, hear them pounding as they tease each other. You can too, can't you?"

"Yes." Justine whispered.

"Wanna give them some competition?" Sylar leered at her.

Justine's head snapped up as she glared at him. "Oh, you've GOT to be kidding me!" 

"What?" Sylar laughed softly as Justine tried to pull his hand away from her. "Oh come on! We could probably even go all the way this time. I have a feeling Miriam's going to be a tad busy with my brother to worry about shooting her foot off this time." 

"I don't fuck serial killers." Justine pushed Sylar away and headed for her hotel room door.

"Oh please! You came pretty damn close already!" Sylar reached out with his telekinesis and pulled Justine to him, laughing as she tried to wriggle lose. "Hell, we were both naked, wrapped around each other and going at it, so technically you've already done a serial killer, we just didn't finish." 

"Let me go." Justine growled angrily.

"No." Sylar spun her around and pushed her against a wall. "You're the one with all of the extra super-powers. You're more powerful than I am, honestly. Make me let you go." Justine glared at him. "You don't want to, do you? You WANT to fight me and eventually give in so you can say later that you had no choice, right?" Justine stopped struggling and looked away. "Yeah, because that way, you can still get off and later still proclaim yourself as a good girl that had no other choice but to just let me take what I wanted." Sylar stepped away from her, smirking. "Tease."

"Shut up." Justine whispered.

"You want me as badly as I want you, you just don't want to admit it. Heaven forbid the 'good girl' actually wants the 'bad boy', right? But you're NOT as good as you want to believe you are. You're not as good as you want the world to believe you are, are you? You've got a dark side, just like me, you just don't want to admit it." Sylar chuckled. "Maya was the same way. She came off all sweet and virginal for the most part and talked about the time she went to repent her sins by trying to become a nun, but the truth was, she had a dark side, she still does. She killed her sister-in-law at her wedding to her twin brother because she caught her giving her old boyfriend a little commemorative piece of ass. She killed EVERYONE at the wedding with the exception of Alejandro, and he only escaped because like you and Miriam, he and Maya had similar powers. He was able to control Maya when she'd get all black-eyed and murderous. You and Maya are very similar. You want to pretend that you're all sugar and spice and innocence too, when you know deep down that you've got the potential for evil. Miriam's the same way, except she embraces that potential more and better than you do. She doesn't try to hide it or fight it, she lets it come out and play occasionally, like letting steam off of a valve. I can tell that. You keep your dark side bottled up, don't you?" Justine closed her eyes and shook her head as Sylar nodded. "Yeah, just like Maya. You pretend to be good and let off that steam by screwing naughty boys like me. Maya pretended to be sweet, she actually told me she was a virgin when we started to sleep together, but I have to tell you, she was NO virgin. The things she did to me, the things she let me do to her, she'd done them before and she gave and took like a champ in that seedy hotel room. We did things to each other that were twisted, depraved and completely and totally pleasurable and she loved every minute of it, just like I did. She let her dark side come out to play, you see. She danced with the devil and loved every moment of it, just like you started to the other night. If she hadn't gotten so upset when her eyes were opened to my past, she'd be here now and I wouldn't be with you, talking. I'd be in that room with her right now, doing to her what it sounds like Matt and Miriam are starting to do to each other. You hear them? Those bedsprings are getting quite the workout, aren't they?" Sylar grinned as Justine began to breathe hard. "But you don't have to hear them, you can feel what he's doing to her, feel how much she's enjoying it." Sylar began to laugh as Justine shuddered and stifled a moan. "Have fun with that second-hand orgasm, Juss. I'll be in my room, laughing my ass off while you moan out here." He turned and started to walk away, his grin widening as Justine's hand grasped his wrist. 

"Don't go." She moaned.

"Oh?" Sylar turned to her. "You want to let YOUR dark side come out and play?" He stepped towards her as she whimpered, her legs shaking. "Do you?" Justine nodded as she bit her lip. "Don't gesture. Tell me, tell me what you want."

"I want you." She moaned. "Now."

Sylar pressed against her, burying his face in her neck as Justine grasped his shoulders. "You want me? You want to dance with the devil?"

"Yes." She whispered, her breath coming in gasps as she clutched him. "Dance with me." She gasped as Sylar quickly pulled her to him as he pressed her against the wall, hiking up her skirt as he tugged at her panties. "Wait, your room."

"Do you want to waste time by stumbling in there when we're right here?" Sylar panted in her ear. "Elle's passed out drunk, Isabelle's asleep and we're on the balcony walkway of a no-tell motel in the middle of the night. No one's going to see us." Before Justine could say anything else, he crushed his mouth to hers as she unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans. Both of them moaned softly as he began to thrust against her, shoving her against the wall of the motel as he entered her. Justine dug her nails into his back as her legs wrapped around his waist. Sylar gasped and kissed her neck as she moaned softly, her head thrown back as she shuddered against him.

In their stolen room, Miriam gasped softly and clutched at the sheets as Matt moved on top of her. "HOLY SHIT!" She shrieked.

Matt stopped and stared down at her, kissing her. "You okay?" He whispered.

Miriam gasped and shivered. "Don't stop." She growled. "OH GOD DON'T STOP!" 

"I don't plan on it." He grinned and began to quicken his movements as Miriam lifted her head and kissed him passionately, her nails digging into his back as her legs tightened around his waist. Matt's eyes widened as Miriam broke the kiss and began to scream with pleasure. "You sure you're okay?"

Miriam nodded. "Please don't stop."

"OH GOD DON'T STOP!" Justine shrieked as Sylar looked around nervously and clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Shit!" He shook his head as he continued to move against her. Panting, he laughed softly. "You want someone calling the cops?" He yelped as Justine bit his hand and snatched it away from her. "Keep it down."

His eyes widened as Justine grasped at his hair. "Don't you DARE stop!" She hissed at him, her legs tightening around his waist. 

"I'm not, I promise." Sylar looked around and wrapped his arms around Justine's waist, lifting her with him as he headed towards the door to his hotel room as she whimpered and began to kiss him. "Hang on. I think if you're going to be this loud, we'd BETTER go to my room." He nodded to the door. "Phase us through?" He stepped into the room with Justine and sat down on the bed with her, gasping with pleasure as she began to move on top of him. He buried his face against her chest, moaning as she began to shake. "God I could do this with you forever." He whispered as Justine moved faster and moaned loudly. His moans joined hers until they finally stopped and lay back together, still dressed as Sylar wrapped his arms around Justine. "That was probably the freakiest and hottest sex I've ever had."

"What about Maya and the twisted things the two of you did?" Justine asked softly, a hint of teasing in her voice.

"Oh, I think screwing a hot cop against a wall outside of a motel while her twin sister who shares orgasms with said hot cop bangs my brother a few rooms down trumps anything that Maya and I did, that's for sure." Sylar chuckled. "I have a feeling that as much as I'd like to take all of the credit for that yodeling you did outside and in here, I think some of it belongs to Matt." 

"And I have a feeling that whatever shrieking Miriam did wasn't all Matt's doing either." Justine giggled. "God, we're twisted."

"We're one fucked-up family, that's for sure." Sylar laughed with Justine. "Hell, as fucked-up as I am, it kind of fits." His smile faded as he studied Justine. "Any regrets?"

"Just that we couldn't do this longer." Justine whispered.

"We can. We have all night." Sylar kissed her nose. He began to unbutton her blouse, smiling at her. "And the next time we do it, we're not going to have any of these pesky clothes in our way, are we?"

Justine let Sylar undress her and smiled as she pulled his clothes off before lying on the bed, her naked body pressed against him. "This doesn't change anything, you know that." 

"What do you mean?" Sylar nuzzled against her neck, his hands roaming her body, exploring.

"I still don't trust you and I still think in the end, this will not end well. You're still a killer. I'm still a cop." Justine shook her head. "I know I'm going to regret this all in the end."

"Maybe, maybe not." Sylar's fingers glided over her skin, smiling as she shivered in response. "In this room though, in any room where we're alone together, you're not a cop and I'm not a killer, we're lovers."

"And when we're not in a room alone together?" Justine asked him.

"We'll figure something out." Sylar sighed. "Maybe I really HAVE discovered something I like more than killing and collecting powers."

"What?" Justine laughed softly. "Fucking me?"

"Among other things. Maybe I like being a brother, being a lover, being a part of a family, being a part of a team." Sylar mused. "I want to change, Juss. I really do. I want to BELONG somewhere."

"Maybe you will." Justine lay against him, resting her head in the crook of his shoulder. "We'll see." 

"I'll show you. I'll show everyone." Sylar murmured as he began to doze off with Justine resting in his arms. "I'll prove it to you."

* * *

Song cited in this chapter: Paralyzer by Finger Eleven 


	16. Chapter 16: Truth Hurts

Chapter Sixteen: Truth Hurts

October 7, 2007

Napa Valley, California

Elle Bishop grimaced in her sleep as Isabelle sat on her adjoining bed, staring at her for a moment. She nodded to herself and lay back, closing her eyes.

Moments later, Elle opened her eyes, stunned as she stared at the bedroom she was lying in. "What the hell?" She climbed out of the bed, confused. "Jeff?" She called out, shaking her head as she stepped out of the bedroom. "No, I didn't go home with him. Miriam and Justine wouldn't have allowed it, besides I think I remember riding home with them." She said softly to herself. "So where in the hell am I?" She slowly climbed down the stairs and gasped as she entered a living room. The image of a woman, lying dead on the floor with blood pooling around her body wavered in the room for a moment before fading away. "WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON? WHERE AM I?"

"With me." Elle turned, frowning as she spotted Isabelle.

"YOU!" Elle looked around the room, her eyes narrowing. "What's going on?"

"I brought you here." Isabelle nodded softly as she looked around the room. "I've been reading your mind, even the deepest memories that you thought you'd forgotten," Isabelle raised an eyebrow "or were MADE to forget. I decided that you needed to see them again. You need to remember, whether you want to or not."

"Why?" Elle looked around nervously. "Where are we?"

"My home in Maine. It's where I grew up."

"But we're not really there." Elle shook her head. "This is just some sort of construct in your mind, right? Kind of like The Matrix?"

"The what?" Isabelle cocked her head to the side.

"The Matrix. It's a movie that dealt with constructs." Elle sighed and shook her head "What I'm saying is that we're not REALLY in your actual home, just a facsimile."

"Basically, yeah. It's my idealized version of my home." Isabelle watched as Elle turned and walked through the living room, stopping to touch a vase. "Don't move that, please." Elle turned to frown at Isabelle as the younger girl blushed. "I like everything where it is."

"You're a lot more articulate in here, aren't you?" Elle nodded. "So WHY do you want me to see whatever it is you want me to see?"

"You need to know the truth."

"The truth about what?" Elle's brows knitted together.

"Everything." Isabelle smiled sadly at her.

* * *

Matt lay on the bed in the hotel room he and Miriam had "borrowed", panting as he stared at the ceiling. Miriam lay on top of him, her body still quaking as she tried to catch her breath. "Why do I get the feeling that your enthusiasm this last time wasn't all ME?" Matt whispered.

Miriam blushed as she lifted her head. "Um, because Sylar and Justine are getting their freaks on too in your room." As Matt made a face, Miriam shrugged. "Most of it was you, Babe, trust me on this, it was just amplified because Justine was experiencing the same thing."

"God, we're FREAKS!" Matt stroked Miriam's back. "Any chance WE'LL be able to do this just the two of us without those two joining in, so to speak?"

"I think not." Miriam cocked her head to the side, listening. "In fact, it sounds like they're gearing up for more." She stretched out beside Matt, grinning. "So are you just going to watch me experience my sister's-" She giggled as Matt rolled over and began to kiss her. "-I'll take that as a no!"

"I'm just going to pretend that when you start clawing at the sheets that it's all my doing." Matt winked at her.

Miriam nodded. "Well, for the most part it IS your doing." She grinned and began to kiss him back.

* * *

Elle paced around the living room, staring at Isabelle. "So you've, what, brought me here to tell me some sort of truth? Are you invading my dreams? I remember Mohinder talking about some boy he knew in India that could do that. He showed up in dreams like a spirit guide."

"No." Isabelle rolled her eyes. "This isn't like that. I'm not a guide, per se." She shrugged. "Well, maybe I am, sort of. I don't know. I didn't invade your dreams, though. I simply brought you into MY dream world."

"THIS is your dream world, the house where you grew up?" Elle shook her head. "Hell, MY dream world is a tropical paradise filled with buff muscular men who are all super-horny and I'm the only woman there, therefore I'm their queen."

Isabelle giggled. "THIS is where I grew up and it's where I've always felt safe." She looked around the house. "The weather is usually sunny and bright here, it's always warm and there are beautiful flowers in the garden, year-round. It's my safe haven. This is where I go when things in the real world get to be too much." Isabelle shrugged. "Which happens a lot, given my condition. It's not over-stimulating here, there aren't people trying to 'figure me out' or hug me or-" Isabelle sighed "-this is MY place."

"I guess when you put it that way, this is a good dream world." Elle smiled softly. "It's good to have a safe haven." She turned to Isabelle again. "So what do you want to show me?"

"The truth." Isabelle's expression grew grim. "It's not a nice truth Elle, but you still need to see it." She nodded towards a door and began to walk towards it with Elle. "I read your mind as I told you, even the parts that you've forgotten, even the parts that you were made to forget-"

"-You mean things The Haitian removed?" Elle frowned as Isabelle nodded. "And how did you do that? He REMOVED them."

"Not exactly." Isabelle shook her head. "He damaged a small part of your brain, your memory center, to keep you from recalling the memory, giving you a gray space instead. The memory is still there, you just can't access it."

"He DAMAGED my BRAIN?" Elle's eyes widened.

"At the most, it was a neuron or two, but it was enough to block you from remembering what your father wanted erased."

"Noah was right." Elle whispered.

"Yes, he was." Isabelle stood at the door, glancing warily up at Elle. "This isn't pretty, you should know that going in."

"Wait, if I can't access these memories, how come YOU can?"

"I found a way around the blocks, around the damage to bring it back." Isabelle nodded. "Actually, I found a way for YOU to go around the blocks so you can see these memories, sort of like with stroke victims." At Elle's confused expression, Isabelle rolled her eyes. "Stroke victims lose some functions because of damage to their brains, but they regain them by rewiring their brains and re-learning the functions in a different way."

"So you're helping me rewire my brain so I can remember this stuff."

"Yes." Isabelle stared reluctantly at the door. "Maybe you shouldn't see this. It's bad, Elle."

"Fuck this!" Elle reached for the doorknob. "Noah's always taunting me about my past with this whole 'I know something you don't know' bullshit and even your sisters know to an extent what happened to me. Daddy hid all of the evidence, I want to know for myself." She turned the doorknob and opened the door, her eyes widening at what lay beyond it. "What the hell?" She turned and stared at the living room, then turned back to the door, noticing a hallway beyond it. "Is THIS in your house?"

"No, it's not." Isabelle shook her head.

"It looks sort of like the hallway to Primatech in Odessa." Elle stepped through the doorway with Isabelle following behind her. "I've been here before, but I don't know, something feels-" Her head turned as she heard the sound of two men arguing. "That's Daddy!" She sprinted down the hall towards the voices, Isabelle hot on her heels. She stopped and stared as she spotted her father, walking down the hallway with Noah Bennet. "This isn't now, is it?" Elle asked.

"No." Isabelle agreed. "It's not."

"Daddy still has some hair on his head and Noah looks younger, and no glasses." Elle gasped as the men walked through her and continued to argue as they headed down the hall towards a room. "Okay, that was messed up!" She turned and watched, listening to them.

"I don't agree with this, Bob!" Noah stopped and waved a report under his nose. "You heard what the doctor said, if you continue to test her this way-"

"-My girl is tough!" Bob rolled his eyes. "She'll handle these tests like a champ, you'll see." He swatted the report away and turned, heading towards an exam room.

"Oh God." Elle turned to Isabelle. "What are you going to show me?"

"Go down there and see for yourself." Isabelle nodded. "You heard them arguing, Elle. You knew something bad was going to happen."

Elle bit her lip and ran down the hall towards the exam room. She stood in the doorway, staring at a young girl that sat at a table. "That's me." Elle whispered to Isabelle. "I'm eight, maybe?"

"About that, yes." Isabelle nodded. "From what I could gather when I dug around in your memories, you're eight."

Elle studied her younger self with a soft smile on her face. "I was so sweet." She whispered softly. The girl at the table was busy drawing, humming softly to herself as she drew a unicorn with a pencil and turned to a crayon box, smiling as she found a yellow crayon. Her long blond hair flowed down her back in buttery waves, a strand tucked behind her ear. She turned back to her picture and colored in the unicorn's horn before turning back to the box and pulling out more crayons to quickly color in a rainbow that was arching behind the animal on the paper. "Unicorns and rainbows." Elle looked away. "I loved that stuff, I loved all of that stuff, until-"

"-Ready to go, Honey?" Elle turned around and glared at her father as he walked through the door, noticing the tired, wary way her younger self stared up at him.

"Daddy? I don't want to do this today." Elle heard her younger self say.

Bob made an exasperated face as he walked over to young Elle and knelt down beside her. "You have to do this, Honey."

"But why?" The girl stared down at her picture, fighting tears. Elle looked away as she struggled not to cry, noticing the tortured expression on Noah's face as he stood in the hallway. "Daddy, it hurts."

"It doesn't hurt, it's what you were born to do. It's natural." Bob nodded. "Just like how I can make things turn to gold-"

"-like in the story about Midas." Young Elle said softly.

"Exactly! Just like Midas! And just like me, you have a special power too. We have to see just HOW special it is, okay?" Bob stood and took Elle's hand. "You want to show everyone here just how truly special you are, don't you?" He beamed as the young girl nodded slowly. "That's my girl!"

"Daddy, don't do this." Elle stepped forward as Bob began to lead her younger self towards the door.

"Elle-" Isabelle touched her arm.

"SHUT UP!" Elle shrugged Isabelle away as she began to plead with her father. "Daddy no! Daddy don't do this to me! DADDY STOP! YOU'RE GOING TO HURT ME!" Elle wailed as Bob and the younger version of Elle strolled through her towards the door. "NO! STOP!" Elle knelt on the floor, crying as Isabelle stood beside her, patting her shoulder gently.

"This isn't happening in real time, you know this." Isabelle crooned. "This is just a replay of your memory."

"Great, my own mental horror movie starring my daddy as the bad guy." Elle stood and sprinted towards the door. "I have to do something, I have to stop him!"

"YOU CAN'T!" Isabelle shook her head and ran after Elle. "IT'S ALREADY HAPPENED, ELLE!"

* * *

"I have some good news." Noah whispered as Sandra lay in bed beside him, curled around him.

"You're ready for more?" Sandra teased.

"Besides that." Noah grinned at her. "I got Bob to agree to let me come home and visit."

Sandra gasped and squealed happily as she hugged Noah. "Oh Baby, that's wonderful!" She mock-glared at him. "You couldn't have told me that when I first got here?"

Noah winked. "I DID have other things on my mind."

"Oh poo!" Sandra shook her head as she lay back beside him. "Noah Cole Bennet, you'd made the Pope cuss, I swear!" She sat up, propping herself up on her elbow as she stared lovingly down at her husband. "When can you come home?"

"Soon." Noah stroked her arm as he stared up at her, his expression reverent. "I have a job I have to do first, but Bob told me that after I complete it, I can start coming home again."

Sandra frowned. "What kind of job? Is it dangerous?"

Noah shook his head. "It's going to be fine. I mainly have to wrangle a team together to capture this man, or beast or whatever he is now." Noah sighed. "I have some good people on my side, Sandra. They're going to do the heavy lifting, my job was to just get them all together."

Sandra's eyes narrowed as she studied him. "Why do I get the feeling that capturing this thing isn't the ONLY reason you're getting this little group together?" She sighed as Noah smiled sheepishly. "Talk, Mister!"

* * *

Elle leaned against a wall, tears streaming down her cheeks as she watched her younger self gripping something that appeared to be a metal joy stick. Her eyes appeared hollow, with dark shadows under them, her blond bangs were plastered with sweat to her pale, clammy forehead. As Bob and an uncomfortable looking Noah and Claude looked on, a technician nodded to her. "Again." He told her.

Young Elle whimpered as she gripped the joystick, growing paler and grimacing at the electrodes attached to her head. "Do I have to?" She whispered.

"DO IT!" Bob snapped at her.

The young girl moaned and concentrated as electricity flowed from her hand into the joystick. The technician gasped. "That was over five hundred mega joules." He turned to Bob. "The same as in a bolt of lighting."

"Keep going, Elle." Bob's voice was stern as the girl moaned.

"Daddy, I don't feel good."

"Bob, she's been going at this for six hours now." Noah whispered.

"My girl's tough." Bob glared at Noah. He turned back to his daughter. "KEEP GOING, ELLE!"

The girl nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks as she concentrated again, electricity arcing from her hand into the joystick. The technician nodded excitedly. "That one was over a giga joule!" He turned to Bob. "Fascinating!"

"Keep going, Elle!" Bob ignored the technician as his eyes bored into his daughter's. "You can do better than that, you know it!"

The girl moaned, her face growing paper-white. Her eyes rolled back in her head as she fainted and fell to the floor. "ELLE!" Noah bolted for her and lifted her up, carrying her to a gurney with Claude hovering beside him.

Bob pursed his lips impatiently. "Wake her up and make her continue."

"Are you NUTS!" Noah glared at him. "You're going to fry her brain!"

"She's tough. My girl is tough. Wake her up and keep going." Bob turned and walked out of the room. "Tell her if she does better, I'll bring her some ice cream later."

Elle leaned against the wall with Isabelle, glaring hatefully at her father. "You son of a bitch." She hissed.

* * *

Sylar smiled and rolled over, stroking Justine's back as she slept beside him. "You can't POSSIBLY be in the mood for more." Justine whispered. "If you are, there's a bottle of lotion in my room, have fun with Mr. Hand."

"I'm not in the mood for more." Sylar whispered. "Well, actually, I AM, but I won't molest you further until you've had some sleep." He sighed as his fingers traced her spine. "I can't remember the last time I had sex simply because I wanted it, and not as an ulterior motive. It's nice, I should do it more often, with you, preferably."

"Oh really?" Justine murmured. "So the last time you had sex, it was as an ulterior motive?"

"Yeah." Sylar shrugged. "It was to keep Maya from realizing that her brother was dead in my room."

"I see." Justine nodded sleepily. "Did you take his power when you did it?"

"No." Sylar shook his head. "I tried after I was finished with Maya, but as with that girl that I killed in Mexico: Candice, Michelle, whatever her name was, I wasn't able to acquire it because of the virus."

"The Shanti Virus." Justine whispered.

"Yeah." Sylar sighed. "Too bad, too. When I get back to Hartsdale with everyone, Maya's going to want my head on a platter. She'll probably get all black-eyed and weepy when she sees me and that'll be that. If I'd been able to get Alejandro's power, I'd be able to suppress her."

"I'll stop her, or heal you one." Justine shrugged.

"Thanks." Sylar smiled. "That's right, you're immortal so she won't be able to kill YOU."

"Nope." Justine yawned.

"It must be cool, being immortal." Sylar placed his hands behind his head and stretched out on the bed.

"It's not all it's cracked up to be."

"Are you KIDDING!" Sylar glanced over at Justine as she stared at him with heavy-lidded eyes. "You can't die, you can't age-"

"-I CAN die, if I'm shot in the head or decapitated. The brain, as you well know, is the source of our powers. If my brain is gone or separated from my body, I can most certainly die. And the not being able to age part isn't so great either, trust me." Justine frowned. "I truly curse the day our mother decided that we needed to meet our father. Not that it was HER fault we got his powers, but she should have known that even behind a wall of glass, he'd find a way to pass them on to us."

"I'd still like to find your father myself." Sylar smiled softly. "I want to kill him for murdering your mother and causing you and our sister pain and I want his power for myself."

"Good luck. There are only two people in this world besides my father that know where he is and neither of them are talking." Justine murmured, her eyes slowly closing as she fought sleep.

"Who knows?" Sylar asked her.

"Hiro Nakamura-"

"-Oh, fucking great-" Sylar muttered.

"-and Miriam."

Sylar raised an eyebrow. "Miriam knows?" He asked.

"Yep." Justine nodded. "She told me so tonight. A few days before you attacked us, she went to Japan to meet with Hiro and read his mind."

"She knows where he is." Sylar grinned.

"She said that she's going to leave him wherever he is until he's insane. She said that he's in hell."

"What else did she say?" Sylar asked her, trying to appear nonchalant.

"She said that after he's been stuck wherever he is and is raving mad, probably in about a hundred years or so, she'll bring him out of whatever jail Hiro stuck him in and torture him before stuffing him back for another hundred years and so on and so forth until she's bored and kills him."

"But she didn't tell YOU where he was?"

"Nope." Justine opened her eyes, staring at Sylar. "And I don't WANT to know."

"Why not?" Sylar smiled at her.

She raised an eyebrow, regarding him warily. "Because the temptation would be too great for me to NOT wait a hundred years. I'd want to find him and kill him now for what he's done to Mom."

Sylar rolled over, facing Justine as he began to stroke her shoulder. "You should find out. You SHOULD release him and kill him now. I'll help you and when we're done, I'll take his power and live with you forever."

"Oh?" Justine asked, her voice growing cold. "You'd HELP me kill Adam?"

"Absolutely!" He leaned down to kiss her. "Imagine the two of us being able to live together and do THIS for all of eternity." He yelped as Justine punched him in the face, knocking him out of bed. "WHAT THE FUCK?"

Justine scrambled to climb out of bed, grabbing her clothes. "You're a sick little shit, you know that?"

Sylar clutched at his nose, grimacing as blood streamed from it. "What did I do?"

Justine whirled around on him as he still lay naked on the floor where she'd knocked him off of the bed. "No ulterior motives my ASS! You seduced me, hoping that I'd give up Adam's location so you could take his power for yourself! ASSHOLE!"

"WHAT?" Sylar tried to stand as Justine pulled her clothes on, shaking his head. "I didn't-"

"-don't even TRY to tell me you didn't have this in mind when you coerced me into coming in here!"

"I DIDN'T!" Sylar tried to take a step towards her and groaned as she pushed him away with telekinesis. "I didn't even know where Adam was-"

"-but you knew that I'D probably know, right? You fucked me until I was too tired to think straight so you could pump me for information afterwards!" Justine glared at him. "You're a real piece of work, Sylar!"

"Oh for crying out loud, Juss! I didn't do this to find out about Adam, I did it because I wanted you!" Sylar tried to step towards her again and bellowed angrily as she pushed him away once more. "Will you CUT that SHIT OUT?"

"FUCK OFF!" Justine turned and started walking towards a wall. "I can't believe I actually thought we had a connection. You were just using me the same way you've used countless others, you just used your dick for once instead of your brain." She turned to him, glaring hatefully at him. "Do not EVER speak to me again! Not only will I never try to find out Adam's location, if I found out by accident, hell would freeze over before I ever told YOU! You just want to be immortal so you can spend a lifetime collecting powers and getting stronger and stronger and you used ME to try and get there!" She turned and began to phase through a wall as Sylar ran towards her.

"JUSS WAIT!" He yelped as he ran face-first into the wall and stumbled back. His shoulders slumped, he turned and walked towards the bed, falling into it as he buried his face in a pillow. "SHIT!" He yelled into it.

Justine entered her hotel room, fighting tears as she marched towards the bathroom. She glanced over at Isabelle and Elle, noticing how deeply they were sleeping. "At least some of us will be able to do that tonight." She muttered as she stepped into the bathroom and quickly pulled off her clothes before climbing into the shower. She started crying as she began to scrub herself. "Fucking asshole!" She moaned.

* * *

Elle sat in a facility treatment room, choking back sobs as she watched her younger self stare at the ceiling, her young eyes blank. "He did this to me. I fried my brain out because he wouldn't listen to reason."

"Yes. I know." Isabelle nodded as she stared up at Elle. "I'm sorry you have to see this."

Elle's mouth tightened into a thin line. "Like you said, I had to know." She quickly patted Isabelle on the shoulder. "Thanks for bringing me. What's going to happen now? Do things get worse?"

"Yes." Isabelle said softly.

"Thanks for the warning." Elle turned and glared at her father as he entered the room. "What the hell is he going to do NOW?"

Bob turned to Noah and Claude as they entered the room, followed by a doctor. "This is unacceptable! How am I supposed to take her home to Janelle now? What did you two do to her?"

Noah glared angrily at him. "What you told us to. We continued to test her after she was revived, against our better judgment."

Bob pursed his lips as he turned back to his daughter. "How am I going to explain THIS to Janelle? I told her she was coming to work with me to be tested for the Gifted Program at her school, that I'd gotten her an interview with one of the teachers. How do I explain a healthy child leaving with me and returning home a catatonic freak?"

"Well, that's your little pickle to work out, isn't it?" Claude snapped at him. "I hope she throws you to the bloody wolves for what you've done to this little mite." He snorted. "It's not like you can cover a screw-up like this, eh?"

"That's exactly what I intend to do." Bob turned to Noah. "Get The Haitian in here to erase her memories of what happened today. Last thing I need is for her to go home to her mother and blab about what happened."

"Yeah, I'm sure the moment she arrives home, she'll be Chatty Cathy again, she certainly is now." Claude quipped.

"I don't have time for your lip." Bob growled.

The doctor cleared his throat as Noah rolled his eyes and left the room. "If I may?" Bob turned to him, raising an exasperated eyebrow. "Even if you remove her memories of what transpired today, it won't 'cure' her of what's happened to her."

"And what HAS 'happened' to her?" Bob sighed.

"The excessive electricity that was generated from your daughter has severely altered her brain chemistry. The little girl that walked into this building today will probably never return."

"What are you talking about?"

The doctor stared at Elle sadly as she continued to stare up at the ceiling, unresponsive. "It would take further testing, but-"

"-I don't have time for further testing." Bob rolled his eyes. "The Haitian will come in. He'll erase her memories of what she did today and she'll be fine."

"I don't think your wife will consider her 'fine', Mr. Bishop." The doctor said sadly.

Bob smirked. "I can handle my wife."

As she observed this memory, Elle closed her eyes. "I can't believe he didn't listen to anyone."

* * *

Matt rolled over and stared at Miriam as she quickly got dressed. "Where are you going?"

Miriam shrugged. "I heard a ruckus coming from your hotel room."

Matt yawned. "It's probably Sylar and Justine getting extra-kinky." He patted the bed beside him. "Come back to bed."

"If they were doing anything, I'd know." Miriam grimaced. "Trust me. I'm about to go and see what's up. I heard shouting. It's quiet now, but I think I hear Justine crying in the shower."

"You need me to come with?" Matt whispered.

Miriam smiled at him. "I can take care of myself with Sylar. Keep the bed warm?"

"Absolutely." Matt rolled back over and went to sleep.

* * *

Elle looked around as Isabelle led her through the front door of a modestly decorated home. "I know this place. I remember this place." Elle looked around. "This was our home near Odessa." Her eyes lit up as she spotted a petite, slender woman walk past, her blond hair cut short. "That's my MOM!" She stepped forward, beaming. "She left home when I was nine. Daddy said-" She turned to Isabelle, her eyes widening "-Daddy lied about where she went, didn't he?" Isabelle nodded mutely. "Oh God!" Elle turned back to watch the scene unfold in front of her.

Bob followed the blond as she walked into the kitchen. "You're insane Janelle, you know that?"

Janelle Bishop chopped up vegetables as she shook her head, tears sparkling in her dark blue eyes. "I'm NOT insane, Bob! I know you did something to her! For the last year, she's been different, ever since that morning she went to work with you so she could be tested for that 'Gifted Program'." Janelle laughed bitterly. "What a fucking joke." She spun around on Bob, a knife in her hand. "I know what you do for a living. I've been investigating it."

Bob's eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. Elle saw movement out of the corner of her eye and spotted herself at nine years old, skulking in the shadows, taking in the argument. "And just what exactly do I do that bothers you? I'm a paper sales-"

"-DON'T GIVE ME THAT 'PAPER SALESMAN' BULLSHIT!" Janelle threw the knife down on the counter. "You investigate people like you and Elle. You TEST people that are like you and Elle!"

"I don't think I know what you mean." Bob said flatly.

"You're a shit liar." Janelle looked at him, her face a mask of disgust. "She went with you to be tested, but it wasn't for a Gifted Program at school. You tested her abilities, didn't you? You went too far and now she's fucked up!"

"I don't know what you mean. She doesn't seem different to me." Bob smirked.

"Oh? She's been getting into fights at school. One student that was teasing her ended up dying after he was struck by lightning-"

"-Lightning strikes are actually a common occurrence-"

"-ON A SUNNY DAY WITHOUT A CLOUD IN THE SKY!" Janelle yelled. "And when we went to Mom's for Christmas, she burned down the house! Hell, when we went to see my sister, she caused an electrical outage in three counties! She's been stealing, too. I found a bunch of my jewelry stashed under her bed. When I asked her about it, she said she took it because she wanted it. She said she felt like taking it. When I tried to send her to her room, she shocked me, Bob! She damn well near electrocuted me! When I asked her why she did THAT, she said it was because she felt like doing it!"

"She's just going through a phase, that's all."

"The fuck she is! You screwed her up!" Janelle glared at him. "And you're not going to get the chance to do it again."

"Meaning?" Bob raised an eyebrow.

"Meaning I'm leaving tonight after dinner. I've already packed my bags, Elle's too and I'm calling a lawyer in the morning. We're leaving you and as soon as we're clear of you, I'm taking her to get treatment. Maybe with a lot of therapy, she'll be my little girl again."

Bob shrugged. "You can leave if you want, but MY daughter isn't going anywhere with you."

Janelle laughed. "She'll leave with me, or I'll go to the press and tell them what you and your cronies REALLY do at Primatech. I've got proof." She smirked. "Once the press gets wind of this, you'll be too busy covering your ass to worry about fighting me for custody.

"No one will believe you." Bob pulled a packet out of his coat and tossed it on the counter. "Keep them, I have the originals. When I'm done with you, you'll simply be a whore who made up lies to try and take a disturbed little girl from the daddy that loves her."

"What are these?" Janelle opened the packet and gasped as she saw the pictures. "I didn't do this, this isn't me."

"Oh, it IS you." Bob sighed sadly. "You can tell it's you in a few of the pictures, the pictures where you can see your face. I can't believe you've been having an affair with one of my best friends. I feel so betrayed."

"I would NEVER sleep with Maury! He's vile!"

"And yet, there you are, letting him do things to you that you'd refuse to do with me no matter how much I begged. It's sad, really. Do you think a judge is going to give Elle to you after seeing THOSE pictures?" Bob smirked. "And you can even see a shot where you're clearly snorting cocaine off of Maury's-"

"-You're disgusting!" Janelle muttered.

"And you're a drug-addled whore according to these pictures." Bob smiled wickedly as Janelle sagged against the counter. "You're not taking my daughter. You can leave, however. I don't want you staying and influencing her. I don't want my daughter to grow up to be a depraved slut like you."

Janelle glared at him. "You manufacture lies, you cover up truths-" She turned and opened a drawer, pulling out a gun. Bob backed up, his eyes widening as she pointed it at him for a moment. "Try covering up this!" She quickly turned the gun on herself, placing the barrel of the handgun in her mouth and pulling the trigger.

Elle gasped in horror as the back of her mother's head exploded, the walls of the kitchen covered in blood, brains and bone fragments. She heard a piercing scream and turned to see her younger self shrieking as she observed her mother's body.

Bob rushed to the young girl's side and cursed as she shocked him, pushing him away. "FUCK!" He turned and grabbed a phone, dialing quickly. "I have a situation. I need wet works in here and The Haitian. My wife just killed herself." He watched as his daughter ran into the kitchen and collapsed beside her mother's body, burying her face in her mother's stomach as she sobbed. "Dammit, Janelle!"

Elle turned to Isabelle. "She killed herself in front of me. He made her." She looked away, sobbing. "He had Maury sleep with her and take drugs and had it photographed. He knew Mom would realize something was wrong. He knew she'd try and take me away, so he set her up." She buried her face in her hands. "And he made me forget everything. He told me she was angry with me for stealing and being a brat, so she left. Every birthday, every Christmas, I hoped and prayed for a present, a card, something. It never came. Now I know why."

"I'm sorry I made you see this." Isabelle wept softly as she took Elle's hand.

Elle shook her head. "I had to see it, you were right." She turned to the girl. "Now show me what he did to YOU."

Isabelle looked away. "Elle-"

"-SHOW ME!" Elle nodded. "It can't be worse than the shit he did to me and my mom."

"No, but it's still pretty bad." Isabelle turned and opened a door, leading Elle through it.

* * *

Sylar jumped as Miriam walked through a wall. He glared at her for a moment before he turned back to the mirror he was standing in front of, patching up his bloody nose. "You've never heard of knocking, apparently."

"I heard the fight." Miriam shook her head. "You really do have a way with people, don't you?"

Sylar rolled his eyes. "I guess so."

"So was she right? Were you just fucking her to get information out of her about Adam?"

"You can read minds, you tell me." Sylar smirked. He grimaced as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I think she cracked the bone!"

"God! You're such a big baby!" Miriam reached out and touched his shoulder for a moment, nodding as the bleeding and bruising stopped, then reversed itself as Sylar's nose healed.

"Thanks." Sylar gave her a faint, appreciative smile.

"Welcome. So? Did you do it?"

"WHY would I have to screw Justine for information about your father?" Sylar shrugged. "I didn't know that she even knew where he was until after we'd been-"

"-because he's our father, whether we choose to admit it or not and of course she'd be the first logical person to pump for information about him and his whereabouts." Miriam smirked. "Problem was, you pumped the wrong sister."

"I might have been pumping the wrong sister, but from the shrieking I heard coming from your room, my pumping still had quite an effect on you as well." Sylar turned and leaned against the sink counter, smirking as Miriam blushed and looked away.

"That was Matt, not you."

"Yeah. Right. I'm sure you scream like that every time you and Matt are together."

Miriam glared at him. "Were you using my sister or not?"

"No." Sylar shook his head. "I want Adam's power, I won't deny that, but what Justine and I did in here was for pleasure only. I was being honest when I told her that I didn't have any other agenda." He shrugged. "What can I say? She makes me hot. I want her and with Adam's power, I can have her not just for now, but for all of eternity."

Miriam snorted. "God, what has Isabelle been planting in your brain when you're sleeping? You sound like a romance novel!"

Sylar frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I think it's obvious. I figured out what Iz meant when she said that she's 'fixing' you. She's probing your brain at night and giving you some mental aversion therapy. That's what I think, anyway." As Sylar continued to frown, Miriam shook her head. "She pulled Molly into a dream state and they talked. I figure she could probably do a hell of a lot more than just talk if she wanted to. I'm starting to realize that she's a lot more powerful than Mom, Juss and I have given her credit for."

"I'll be damned." Sylar laughed softly. "That explains the headache I get whenever I think about killing someone, besides Adam, of course. Kid's good."

"Obviously." Miriam sighed as she studied Sylar. "You don't want to be immortal, Sylar. Trust me on this. It's not all it's cracked up to be."

"You tell me that, Justine tells me that, I think I'd rather find out for myself if you don't mind."

"Well, seeing as how I won't be giving up Adam's location any time soon, I don't think you'll be finding out how it feels to be immortal, are you?" Miriam raised an eyebrow. "The only people who have that power, besides Adam are Claire Bennet, Peter Petrelli, Justine and myself. If you touch Claire, Noah will kill you. From what I've heard, you and Peter have already fought a time or two and you've always come out the loser-"

"-only because I was too injured to fight Peter at the high school, and then Mohinder slipped up behind me and knocked me out and then Hiro stabbed me-"

"-excuses, excuses. I may despise him for having a hand, albeit a hapless one, in my mother's death, but I have a feeling that if you two went mano y mano, you'd come out the loser, again. That would only leave me or Justine to take immortality from. Kill Justine and then WHO are you going to fuck for all eternity, since you're soooooooo infatuated with her? Kill me and she'll hate you for eternity and you'll never get between those legs again. Face it, you're screwed. Enjoy her company now until you're too old to get it up, then let her go and continue with her extremely long life or face getting killed, your ass beaten, losing your 'soul mate' or having her hate you for murdering her twin."

"Or, you go ahead and dig Adam up now, I watch while you kill him and I take his powers."

"That's not going to happen. I have a plan and your twisted need to live forever isn't going to change that plan, sorry." Miriam turned and headed towards the wall she'd entered from. "Word of advice. If you want to keep having the fun you had tonight, talk to her, beg for forgiveness and never mention Adam to her again."

"Whatever." Sylar groaned as Miriam walked through the wall back to her room with Matt. He stretched out on the bed and stared at the ceiling. "I don't beg. I'll never beg." He muttered as he touched his nose and laughed softly. "God, and people think I'M crazy! I think those two girls could give me a run for their money."

* * *

Elle and Isabelle entered another room and watched as Victoria arrived at Primatech, Isabelle in her arms, her twin daughters walking beside her as they approached Bob, Noah and Claude. "Wow, you were so adorable." Elle whispered. "And Miriam and Justine were pretty. Talk about jailbait!" She turned as she heard Isabelle giggle. "Well! They were!"

"I know." Isabelle nodded. Her smile faded as she watched Miriam take baby Isabelle from Victoria, trying not to let Bob take her. "She knew something was off. She was protective of me, even then, but she knew something was wrong."

"She never should have let you go." Elle shook her head.

"She didn't have much of a choice. Mom reassured her that I would be okay, your father did too. She didn't know what was about to happen." They watched as Miriam handed the toddler over to Bob and turned away, trying not to cry. "If she had, she never would have let me go in a million years. If Mom had known, she never would have brought us here."

"What happened, Iz?" Elle asked.

"Let's follow your father and find out." They walked down the hall, watching as Miriam and Justine turned and went down an opposite hall with Claude and Noah. "We can't go that way, it'll just be a blank space." Isabelle whispered. "I didn't know what happened to them, just what happened to me. I'll never forget what he did in a million years."

The moment Bob entered an exam room with Isabelle, he quickly handed the child over to a technician, grimacing. "God, I never did like that Miriam girl. She's too nosy by far." He turned to another technician. "Do you have the medication?"

A man stared nervously at Bob. "Sir, I've been reading reports on this drug. It says here that it can damage-"

"-it's been perfected." Bob snapped.

"Actually Sir, the reports say that research on it was abandoned and the drug was put away after one test subject showed signs of autistic behavior and obsessive compulsive disorder that was so severe she had to be institutiona-"

"-JUST GIVE ME THE DRUG!" Bob held out his hand impatiently as the technician reluctantly handed a vial over to him. Bob turned and watched as another technician gently inserted an IV into Isabelle's arm, reassuring her softly as he worked with her. "Johnson, test the child as much as you can without medication. When you're ready, she'll be injected with this." Bob held up the vial.

Johnson frowned at him. "Sir, I have to agree with James. This child is so small and the warnings on that medication-"

"-when I want your opinion, I'll ask!" Bob stared down at Isabelle, his lips twisting with distaste. "Quite frankly, the last thing this world needs is another Maury Parkman. As young as this girl is, and to have manifested so quickly and so early, she could surpass him in power if she isn't stopped. Her family tree is full of people with unstable abilities. Her father, her sisters, her uncle, even her mother have shown poor judgment with her abilities on more than one occasion. If I had it my way, she and her sisters would be killed, but if I did that, it would open up more cans of worms than even I could buy my way out of. Between their parents, uncle and godparents, I'd be torn limb from limb. Hell, their uncle could do it on his own. This is the second best way to neutralize at least one of them. Soon, I'll try and find a way to administer this to the twins as well. Their abilities have to be stopped. That's what I intend to do."

Johnson stared up at him. "Sir?"

Bob glared at him. "You didn't hear me say that." He turned to the other technician. "NEITHER of you heard me, do you understand?" Both men nodded nervously. "Now, start testing the child."

Elle turned to Isabelle, stunned. "He did this to you on PURPOSE?" Isabelle nodded quietly. "Why?"

"You heard him. He was afraid I would become more powerful than my father. He was right. I think I have become more powerful than he has. The only difference between me and him is that I was raised with a conscience. Thanks to your father's machinations on this day, I really didn't have any need to bend people's minds to my will, unless I wanted them to leave me alone, or unless there was something I wanted them to see."

"Like you're doing with me now."

"Yes." Isabelle whispered. She grimaced as Bob injected her with a large dose of Cerebrozine and winced as she watched herself began to convulse. "And that's the last time I was what you would call 'normal'." She took Elle's hand as the room began to darken around them. "I didn't remember much after that for quite a while. Hopefully I never will." They turned and walked through a doorway, returning to the house in Maine.

Elle stared at the floor, the corners of her mouth turned down in a mixture of sadness and anger. "I'm sorry for what my father did to you."

"Why? You didn't do it. He did something just as terrible to you."

"Yeah, but he didn't do it to me deliberately. What he did to me was an example of pride getting the better of him. What he did to you was out of spite and hatred for your father." Elle shook her head. "I'm sorry that he hurt you like that."

"He hurt you too." Isabelle squeezed her hand softly.

"Yeah. He hurt me, he caused my mother to kill herself, he messed up your head. Because of him, Noah Bennet's been separated from his family. Because of him, you and your sisters have had to run rather than be locked up and used as guinea pigs." Elle stared at Isabelle. "This has to stop. We have to stop him."

"I know." Isabelle turned to Elle. "Do you want to remember what I've shown you?"

"Yes, I do." Elle nodded. "It hurts, but the truth always does, right?"

"It can." Isabelle frowned. "I have to wonder though. Did you hear him say something about an uncle?"

"Yeah." Elle nodded again. "Do you have an uncle?"

"Not that I can remember, but then again, there are many things that I don't remember." She frowned. "I wonder who he is?"

"If he exists, we'll find him. Apparently he has a power too."

"Apparently." Isabelle turned and pointed to a door. Elle noticed a light glowing under it. "Go through there. You'll wake up and remember this."

"Okay." Elle started towards the door. "How are you going to get out?"

Isabelle grinned. "It IS my dream world. I just wake up."

"Right." Elle winked at her. "See you in the real world."

"If I don't talk as much-"

"-I'll understand." Elle blinked back tears. "Trust me, I DO understand." She turned and headed for the door, her mind whirling with the information that Isabelle had shown her. "I have to stop my Daddy." She whispered to herself. "I have to stop him from ever hurting anyone ever again."


	17. Chapter 17: Lost Memories

Chapter Seventeen: Lost Memories

October 7, 2007

Napa Valley, California

Justine frowned as she heard the sound of weeping in the room. She sat up, bleary-eyed as she reached for a light. "Izzie?" She muttered as she turned on the light. Her frown deepened as she spotted Elle sitting up in her bed, her knees pulled up to her chest, her face buried in her knees as she sobbed. Izzie sat beside her, gently patting her shoulder. "What's going on?" Justine asked.

Elle shook her head. "My father's a sick bastard." She whispered.

"Ooookay." Justine stared at Isabelle. "Did you have anything to do with this?"

"I'm sorry." Isabelle said softly.

"She showed me the truth." Elle's voice was thick with tears, muffled as she continued to bury her face in her knees. "She showed me how to get around The Haitian's blocks to see what my father did to me, and my mother. Then she showed me what Daddy did to her." Elle lifted her head. Her face was red and swollen from crying. "Isabelle was hurt by Daddy on purpose, Justine."

"Excuse me?" Justine's eyes narrowed.

Elle nodded. "He did it to neutralize her. He was threatened by her, because she'd manifested her father's powers at such a young age. He said that her family tree was filled with people who had no business having powers, basically and he didn't want her getting stronger."

"That son of a bitch." Justine snarled. "And what did he do to you and your mother?"

Elle wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "Well, you already know about me. He fried my brain by pushing me while testing my abilities too hard." She glanced over at Justine, her expression miserable. "And then he had The Haitian wipe my memory of those tests. He was arrogant and stupid enough to think that if I didn't remember what happened, he could just pass my behavioral change off as a phase. Apparently he thought my mother was stupid enough to buy it. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't." Elle took a deep breath. "A year later, after I'd burned down my grandmother's home and shorted out a few counties near my aunt's house, along with a few other incidents that happened at school, Mom confronted Daddy. Apparently she found out what he did for a living. She knew about his power and mine too, but she found out somehow what he did with The Company. She told him she was leaving him and taking me and that if he fought her on it, she'd expose him for what he really was and what he really did. She blamed him, and rightfully so, for what was wrong with me. She figured out that he'd used me as a guinea pig."

"How did he take her threats?" Justine asked, her gut already giving her the answer.

"He had a contingency plan in place in case she ever questioned WHY I was different. He'd gotten" Elle glanced over at Isabelle "Maury to seduce Mom and get her to sleep with him and take drugs while someone took pictures, then convinced her to forget it ever happened. When Daddy showed her the pictures of that incident, she realized she was beaten. She got back at him one last time, daring him to cover up her suicide before she blew her brains out in front of him, and me."

"Oh my God." Justine closed her eyes. "Oh Elle, I'm so sorry." She opened her eyes and stared at Isabelle. "And she helped you remember all of this? Why?"

"Because she felt I needed to know. I needed to know what my father has been up to all of this time." Elle's eyes widened at the stern look Justine gave Isabelle. "Don't yell at her, Juss. It was the right thing. She did the right thing." Elle stood up, tears streaming down her cheeks as she began to pace the floors. "I needed to know. For years, I knew I was different, and not just because I could stick a light bulb in my mouth and make it light up like some cross between Uncle Fester and a Skipper doll. I had been diagnosed as being mentally ill and having paranoid delusions. I was diagnosed as sociopathic. I figured it was just me, it was just who I was. I didn't realize until Noah told me the truth and Isabelle showed me the truth WHY I was this way. My father did this to me. He's done this to others as well. Justine, you should have seen the little girl that I was. I was sweet, and polite and" Elle choked back a sob "he robbed me. He robbed me of my innocence and my sanity and then he robbed me of my mother. I think of the person that I could have been, or the person that Isabelle could have been if he'd kept his grubby little hands off of us and I want to just scream!"

"I don't blame you." Justine shook her head. "It tortures me too, remembering the child Isabelle was." She reached out and stroked Isabelle's hair, smiling sadly at her. "I love you Iz, and I wouldn't have you any other way, but when I remember the happy baby you were, it breaks my heart to know what he did to you." Isabelle nodded sadly.

"I caught a glimpse of her in her little world." Elle smiled. "The girl she'd be now if it weren't for Daddy. She's very articulate and bubbly. She's also very serious too, though. I thought she was cool." Elle winked at Isabelle. "I still do, actually." Isabelle smiled gratefully at her.

Justine turned to Elle. "What do you want to do?"

Elle gave Justine a determined look. "I want to stop him. I want to stop Daddy from ever hurting anyone ever again." She held up a warning hand. "I don't want him to die, I'm saying that now. I know you and Mir and Noah have been cooking up something, I'm not stupid. I know Noah's been plotting against Daddy for a while now. I never bugged him about it before even though I was on Daddy's side, because I figured Noah would give him enough rope to hang himself and then I'd simply take him out, but I knew he had something up his sleeve and I know he's brought Miriam and now you and Matt into it as well. I want in, but ONLY if you don't kill him."

"And if the final plan IS to kill him?" Justine asked.

Elle shuddered. "I won't stand in your way, but I won't help you, either. I want him to live and remember what he's done. I want it to haunt him."

Justine stared at Elle, raising a sardonic eyebrow at Elle. "Someone wants to get her vengeance on."

"Death is too easy for him, considering what he's done."

"You're right." Justine nodded.

"About which part?"

Justine winked at her. "All of it. When Noah gets back and Miriam and Matt come up for air, we'll have a talk, all of us. I think it's time to get these plans kicked up a notch."

Elle smiled. "I'm in." He smile faded for a moment. "One question, though."

"Shoot."

"You and Miriam, were you two just being friendly with me to get me on your side?"

"Honestly?" Elle nodded as Justine sighed. "At first, yeah. Then, we realized that you needed friends in the worst way. We saw how sheltered you were and Miriam told me how your father treats you. She and I both realized that you needed a friend more than we needed vengeance."

Elle grinned. "Good answer. Now you're going to have both."

* * *

A few hours later, the team assembled in the men's hotel room. Justine raised an eyebrow at Miriam as she yawned, her eyelids drooping. "Oh, did your all-night sex-fest wear you out?"

Miriam smirked at her. "You're just jealous because you got your ass on your shoulders and walked out on Sylar. You'd be just as wiped out as I am if you had any sense."

Justine rolled her eyes, pointedly ignoring Sylar as he sulked on his bed. "Maybe I just needed the sleep, not that I was able to get much with you and Matt carrying on every hour all night."

"We could have kept on carrying on all night too if you hadn't acted like such a scary bitch." Sylar muttered.

Continuing to ignore Sylar, Justine turned to Noah. "And how was your night? How's Sandra?"

"Oh, I'm not getting into this with the lot of you." Noah shook his head. "Mind telling us why you called us all in here?" He checked his watch. "We have to be at the airport to head back to Hartsdale in an hour."

"It'll be quick, I swear." Justine turned to Elle. "Tell them your story, just like you told me. Tell them what Iz showed you about your life and what Bob did to Iz as well."

"What?" Miriam's brow furrowed as she frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Justine nodded. "Just listen."

Everyone sat around, listening as Elle told her story of what Isabelle had shown her the night before in a shaking, halting voice. When she was finished, Miriam, Sylar and Matt all shook their heads angrily.

"Son of a bitch." Matt muttered.

"He did that, to Izzie." Sylar looked around the room. "And this is the guy that we're all trusting to 'do right' by us in the end?" He turned to Justine. "You should have finished the job on him you started when you were sixteen."

"I'll do it with my bare hands when we get back, super powers or no." Miriam turned to Elle. "And the shit he pulled on you and your mom? Jesus."

Elle nodded slowly, staring at the floor. "He told me that she left because of me, because she couldn't handle the person I'd become. He told me that she didn't want a daughter that misbehaved the way I did." She shook her head. "He'd always tell me that he loved me for ME, no matter how I acted, not like my mother." Her chin quivering, Elle swiped away at tears that began to tumble from her eyes. "And I'd write her letters, letters begging her to come back, promising her that I'd change, that I'd be good. He LET me write those letters, promising to try and have her tracked down so she could get them, all the time knowing that she was dead." Elle looked over at Noah, frowning. "How much of this did you know?"

Noah shook his head, his expression one of shock. "I didn't. I was there for the tests and I knew what had happened to you, but like everyone else, I thought Janelle had just taken off." He closed his eyes, grimacing. "I should have known better, though. I knew Janelle fairly well. She and Sandra hung out together a lot, both of them being the wives of 'Primatech men' and all." He opened his eyes and turned to Elle. "You probably don't remember this, but you guys lived just a few blocks from us. Janelle and Sandra were pretty good friends." Elle nodded slowly as Noah continued. "Janelle was one of the first people to congratulate us when we announced that we'd adopted Claire. A few months after Claire came to our home, we went to Sandra's parents' home in San Marcos to visit them for the week and introduce them to their new granddaughter. When we came back, Bob was telling everyone that Janelle had taken off and left you both. He was telling stories about Janelle having affairs, and told me in private that she'd become starved for attention because of the hours he was working and was desperate to leave after you had come home different from testing. He said that he came home from work one day to find you sitting alone in your room and a 'Dear John' type letter waiting for him in their bedroom." Noah sighed. "I should have known better. I should have known that Janelle hadn't left voluntarily, not without you. Sandra had a difficult time believing it as well."

"Why didn't you investigate it? Dig deeper?" Elle asked softly.

Noah shrugged, staring at the floor. "Bob was my boss and I was still the consummate 'Company Man'. Even though I knew deep down that Janelle HADN'T left of her own free will, I didn't want to question it. The truth is, I didn't WANT to know what had REALLY happened to her. A couple of years later, Bob botched Isabelle's test, apparently on purpose, and was transferred with you to Hartsdale as a 'punishment'."

"Some punishment." Matt muttered.

"If he'd had it his way, he'd have tested all three of us with that Cerebrozine." Justine shook her head. "He was hell-bent on damaging all three of our brains to keep us from becoming more powerful."

"Didn't do any good." Miriam stared at her younger sister in amazement. "Look at how powerful our Izzie is." She turned to Elle. "What do you want to do to him, Elle? He damaged you too and he took away your mother."

Elle stared at the team, smiling softly at her new friends. "I want in on whatever you have planned to take him down. I don't want him dead, but I want his power taken away. I don't want him in charge of me, you or the company any more."

"Okay then." Miriam turned to Noah. "So, how are we going to do that?"

Noah looked up at Miriam, then turned to Elle. "I have a plan to bring him down."

"Good." Elle nodded. "Bring him down as low as you can. Make him pay for what he's done to me, to my mom, and to Iz, not to mention all of the other people we know he's hurt over the years."

Miriam stared at everyone in the room. "What about this 'uncle' that Bob mentioned?"

Noah shook his head. "I don't know. Do you three remember any uncle?"

Miriam frowned. "No. Mom was an only child and if Adam had any brothers, they died hundreds of years ago. Maybe the uncle he was talking about is Izzie's uncle only." She glanced over at Matt. "Any uncles that you can remember?"

Matt shrugged. "Dad only had a sister that died when she was twelve." He smiled softly at his own sister. "Her name was Isabelle, actually. Either way, when she died, she was too young to get married and give this Isabelle an uncle. Maybe the uncle he meant was Linderman? You always refer to him as 'Uncle Daniel'."

Miriam sighed. "Maybe that's it."

"I don't think so." Elle shook her head. "The way Daddy talked about Izzie's uncle, he's related to her. He said that her family tree was filled with powerful people who made bad decisions, basically and he mentioned her uncle specifically."

Noah stared off into space, his lips tightening into a thin line. "Miriam, Justine, think back through your life. Are there any spots that you can't remember, any holidays that seem blank or seem to have been almost erased, so to speak?"

Miriam and Justine stared at each other for a moment, then turned back to Noah. "Not that I can think of." Miriam shook her head.

Noah turned to Miriam, his eyes boring into hers. "Think harder, use Sylar's super-memory that he took from Charlie Andrews. Think of every holiday, every birthday, every event, see if there's something that doesn't make sense or something that seems off."

Miriam frowned as she concentrated, Justine doing the same. She groaned and shrugged. "I can't think of anything, sorry." She sighed and stood, rubbing her temples. "Like you said, we need to get ready to head to the airport." She glanced over at Sylar. "Does Bob know we're bringing him back?"

"Not yet. I thought we'd spring Sylar on him." Noah smirked. "That way, he won't have anything 'accidentally' happen to Sylar before we arrive at the facility in Hartsdale."

"What do you mean 'accidentally happen'?" Sylar's eyes widened. "What'd I do to HIM to make him want me have an accident?"

"You're a powerful man with your own agenda and you'd make a powerful enemy. You're also someone whose loyalties are in question. Bob can't have that." Noah nodded.

"You could say the same for the Bitch Crazy duo over there." Sylar pointed to Miriam and Justine. "Both of them have sworn themselves as his enemies and he's not letting any 'accidents' befall them!"

"Not yet, anyway." Noah glanced over at the twins. "Right now he DOES need them alive to take Roger out, but I have no doubt in my mind that as soon as Roger's been taken out of play, all bets will be off as far as their safety is concerned, no matter what he's promised them."

"Which is why we're not going to give him a chance." Miriam turned to Sylar. "You'd probably be the tipping point as far as Bob's concerned when it comes to powerful people who could be potential enemies."

'There's no 'potential' to it. Izzie's my sister too, and after finding out that he not only caused her autism, but that he did it on purpose, I'm most definitely an enemy." He smiled evilly at Miriam, an almost shark-like smile. "But I can suck-up with the best of them and let him never see me coming as one. That's one advantage you don't have." He turned to Noah. "Go ahead, spring me on old Bob-O when we get back. I'll smile and give him my best Eddie Haskell impression while plotting with the rest of you. I'll be so nice to him that he'll wonder why people were so scared of me in the first place."

Noah raised his eyebrows. "I have a feeling that having you on our side is going to be a powerful thing, indeed."

"Well, you've already seen what it's like to NOT have me on your side. You tell me." Sylar quipped.

"Let's go get our stuff together." Justine rolled her eyes as she headed towards the door.

"Justine-" Sylar turned to her.

"-Let's go." Justine nodded towards her sisters and Elle, ignoring Sylar as he stared hungrily at her.

Miriam sighed and stood with Isabelle and Elle, heading towards the door. She glanced at Sylar over her shoulder, then glanced at her twin, shaking her head with annoyance. "Fine. Let's get packed so we can head back to New York and get this plan going." As soon as they stepped back into their room, Miriam turned to her sister. "Do you have any idea how much what I'm about to have to say pisses me off?"

"What are you talking about?" Justine asked as she quickly packed her things.

"I can't believe you're making me do this." Miriam stared at her in disgust.

"Do WHAT?" Justine rolled her eyes.

"Defend SYLAR, of all ungodly people! Sheesh, Juss! Do you HONESTLY think he was using you last night?"

"What do you know about it? You were a bit preoccupied if I remember correctly."

"Refractory period, I heard you two fighting. You were just looking for an excuse to get away from him after getting off, weren't you?"

Justine glanced over at Isabelle as she carefully folded her clothes, neatly placing them in a suitcase. "I'm not having this discussion in front of our sister."

"She's heard worse." Miriam leaned against a wall, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "You know, when I have to be the one to defend that little bastard, it's really saying something."

"He used me to get information about Adam." Justine turned her back to Miriam and continued to pack as Elle turned and watched them with interest.

"He can use me for information any time." Elle quipped. "Judging from the shrieking Miriam was doing in the car the other night before she blew her foot off, it sounded like Sylar knew what he was doing BIG TIME!"

Miriam tried not to laugh as Justine glared at them. "She does have a point." As Justine continued to glower at her, Miriam sighed. "Look, like I said, I overheard your conversation. I don't think he was using you, okay? I think he's a bit crazed about wanting to find Adam and become immortal, but I think the main thing driving that is some desire to be with you."

"He just wants to be immortal so he can continue becoming more powerful without worrying about aging or dying, that's all." Justine shrugged. "And he thought he could use me to get them."

"If he really wanted immortality JUST for that, he'd have killed you last night while the two of you were in flagrante. Don't tell me you were on your guard while you were together, NO ONE is on their guard when they're shrieking like a banshee while grabbing their ankles." As Justine stared at her, Miriam shrugged and looked away. "Just guessing, that's all."

"I'm finding out a bit more about your sex lives than I wanted to." Elle muttered. She shook her head and turned back to her suitcase. "I'm just going to finish packing, grab Iz and wait for you two naughty girls in the guys' room."

Miriam turned back to Justine. "All I'm saying is that I don't think Sylar screwed you to get information about Adam. Judging from what I heard, it sounded to me like he didn't know that you knew anything about Adam's whereabouts until you said something-"

"-but I DON'T know where Adam is, YOU do-"

"-and that's what you told him, which is when he started waxing poetic about wanting to kill him so you two could boink together for all of eternity." Miriam scoffed. "I can't believe he put it that way, either. He sounded like a character from some sappy romance novel."

"He wants me to get the information from you so he can kill Adam and become more powerful, aren't you listening to me?" Justine sighed, exasperated.

"What I'm saying is that he DIDN'T use you last night, okay? He's a serious ass, but I don't think he's THAT much of an ass. I think he slept with you because he wanted YOU, not because he wanted to pump you for information about Adam. YOU'RE the one who blabbed about my knowing Adam's location. YOU'RE the one who got him to start talking about eternity and all that other crap because of it. You used that as an excuse to haul ass back here, after smacking his ass around of course."

"Why would I need an excuse to leave?" Justine asked, looking away guiltily.

"Because you don't want to admit that you've got a serious jones for a serial killer, which isn't such a great idea since you're a cop and all." Miriam raised an eyebrow as Justine turned away and finished packing. "Am I right?"

"We need to go, we're going to miss our flight." Justine said softly as she closed her suitcase and turned to Miriam. "Ready?"

"I guess. I packed last night." Miriam nodded. "Figured that between bar-hopping and Matt-hopping I'd be too tired to really do it this morning." She grabbed her bag and turned to Elle and Isabelle. "Let's go see if we beat the guys in packing."

"Wait." Justine called out to Miriam as she headed out the door with the two girls. Miriam turned to her. Justine nodded and looked away. "What do I do?"

"About Sylar?" Justine nodded again. Miriam shrugged. "Stop letting him stick it in your pooter?" Justine glared at her again as Miriam shook her head. "Hell if I know. How do you feel about him?"

"I don't know." Justine looked away, shifting back and forth on her feet nervously. "I want him, but-"

"-But he's a killer." Miriam nodded.

"Yeah. He's a killer." Justine closed her eyes. "But at the same time, there's something there, you know?"

"It's called lust, Justine." Miriam sighed. "You have two choices. Choice number one is to avoid him at all costs. That's going to be troublesome, seeing as how we're all going to be working on the same team. Also, I've noticed that when it comes to lust, avoidance just sort of makes it get stronger and stronger. It's like knowing that something's totally forbidden, it just makes it all the more tempting."

"Tell me about it. The more I try to tell myself that I DON'T want him, the more I DO. What's my second choice?"

"Screw him until you get it out of your system, but don't involve your heart?" Miriam shrugged. "Both choices suck, I know."

"Lovely." Justine shook her head. "I'll figure something else out, I guess."

"Go for it. I'd rather you weren't all hot and bothered for him as it is, but if you feel you have to-"

"-Can we GO now?" Justine sighed.

"Sure. Let's go." Miriam nodded towards the door. "Now, we're going back into the guys' room, so try to contain yourself if you can. I know Sylar just gets you SO hot but-"

"-Oh shut it!" Justine muttered.

* * *

When the women left their room, Matt sighed and got up, grabbing his clothes and quickly stuffing them into a duffel bag. He glanced at Sylar over his shoulder, frowning at how the younger man lay on his bed, staring mopily up at the ceiling. "Just what exactly HAPPENED with you two last night?" He asked.

"I don't want to talk about it." Sylar mutter sulkily.

"And I don't want to hear about it." Noah grumped as he packed his bags. "So don't start talking about it."

Matt looked up at Noah for a moment. "What's up with you? I'd have figured a wild night with Sandra would have put you in a much better mood than this." Matt's brow furrowed for a moment. "Especially a night THAT hot!"

Noah glared at Matt. "Get the hell out of my head."

Sylar lifted his head, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "How hot was it?"

"Well-" Matt started to speak and laughed as a shoe sailed through the air, smacking him in the back of the head. "I don't think he wants to talk about it."

"That's right." Noah rolled his eyes as he grabbed his shoe from the floor. "I don't want to talk about my night with Sandra and I DON'T want to hear why your night with Justine ended badly. Besides, I already KNOW why it ended badly."

"Really?" Sylar smirked at him. "Tell me what I did wrong then, Oh Great One."

"You were you."

"Meaning?" Sylar's eyes narrowed.

"Meaning you're a serial killer sleeping with a homicide detective. That, and you're a selfish, freaky little shit. Odds are, you probably scared the hell out of her and she took off."

Sylar pursed his lips and looked away. "That's NOT what happened, trust me. I may have been freaky, but I certainly wasn't selfish." As Noah made a face, Sylar sat up. "If you must know-"

"-I already said I don't want to know-" Noah groaned.

"-She got pissed off when I told her that I wanted to kill her father for her so I could be as immortal as she is and then we could be together forever." Sylar shrugged as Noah stared at him, his expression a mixture of horror and disgust. "She thought I was using her to find out where he was, kicked me out of bed, punched me and then left."

"Let me get this straight," Noah placed his hands on his hips, staring at Sylar "you want to kill Adam JUST so you can live forever with Justine?"

Sylar shrugged. "It's not the only reason-"

"-Great, here we go." Noah nodded. "You also want to be virtually unkillable so you can continue on for eternity killing others and taking their powers without worrying about someone trying to kill you, right?"

Sylar glared at him. "That's what Justine thought too, but it's not correct at all."

"So why else do you want to be immortal?" Matt asked.

Sylar shrugged. "Vengeance. I want vengeance for the woman I think I'm falling in love with and vengeance for my sister. Justine told me that Isabelle is the one who found their mother's body. That's not right, man. Izzy's got enough problems without having to relive the memory of finding her mother's body on top of all of that. I hate the thought of my kid sister having to live with that memory, you know? Besides, to hear Juss talk, their mom was a class-A lady. That had to suck to lose someone like that. And since her death, Iz has had to deal with being on the run with her sisters, being chased by Bob. That's not right. It's not right that she lost her mother like that and it's not right what she's had to deal with since then, so I wanted to kill Adam for Justine and Isabelle." He glanced at Matt. "I guess I want vengeance for Miriam too, seeing as how she's your girl and all."

"I think Miriam and Justine can get vengeance against Adam without your help, Sylar." Noah sighed.

"Yeah, especially since Miriam knows where Adam is." Matt nodded.

Noah turned to Matt, his eyes wide. "MIRIAM knows where ADAM is?"

"Yeah." Matt shrugged. "I'm not saying that she told me or anything, because she didn't, but she knows where he is. Before all of this started up, she went to Tokyo to meet with Hiro. She told me about it the night I found her."

"And Hiro told her where he had Adam?" Noah asked, stunned.

"Not exactly, but she read his mind."

"And she hasn't told you where he is?" Noah sat down on his bed, staring off into space.

"Nope. She hasn't told anyone." Matt turned to Sylar. "And she's not going to, so don't even try asking."

"I already suggested it to her last night. She wasn't interested." Sylar pouted.

"Good!" Noah turned to Sylar, his eyes narrowing. "The idea of you running around with that power makes my blood run cold."

"I'm sure you're thrilled to know that Miriam isn't budging." Sylar sighed.

"I am." Noah nodded. "The idea that she knows though, that also scares me."

"Why?" Matt frowned.

"There are only two people in the world who know where Adam is, right?"

"Yeah, Miriam and Hiro."

Noah stood and began to pace the floor. "Adam has acolytes, Matt. During some of my late-night digs into Bob's computer, I pulled up a file on Adam and his followers. He had followers, not just Linderman and your father. Most of them have died over the years since he was incarcerated, but they recruited other followers before their deaths, people who think of Adam as a savior for the world, someone who is considered by some of them to be practically the second coming of Christ and would be willing to do anything to get their leader back. If word got out that there were two people in this world who knew Adam's whereabouts, those two people would be in considerable danger."

Matt's eyes widened for a moment. "HOW considerable?"

"They're zealots. Bob apparently has been trying to find out the identities of this second generation of acolytes for some time now. So far, he's been unsuccessful. They're very good at keeping their worship of Adam secret, however they'd be willing to do anything to get their leader back probably, and if they have powers as well-"

"-If they have powers as well, Miriam will simply touch them, gain their powers and then use the others in her arsenal to kick their asses into the middle of next week." Matt nodded.

"And Hiro?" Noah asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Hiro can take care of himself." Sylar touched a place on his lower chest, grimacing. "I pity anyone who tries to underestimate him. I know I'll never do that again."

"Why haven't they tried to break Adam out before now?" Matt asked.

"They know who The Haitian is. They know there's a possibility that he could guard Adam if any rumblings are heard of a break-out and that he could stop any powers, leaving whoever tried to break him out at the mercy of Bob's guards and their guns. They also know that the facility in Hartsdale is heavily guarded. No one would risk going in there when they know that Adam's resourceful enough to eventually escape, which he did. They believed that Adam WOULD escape on his own one day and come back to lead them to salvation and heal the world. I don't think they counted on Adam being subdued and absconded with by Hiro, but-"

"-But if word got out that Hiro knows where Adam is-" Matt started to speak.

"-Or Miriam, they could attack them or the people close to them to force their hands to speak." Sylar finished.

Noah nodded. "Exactly. WHO else knows that Miriam and Hiro know where Adam is?"

Matt shrugged. "Well, it's documented that Hiro was the last one seen with Adam before he disappeared. All it would take would be for someone to hack the company's files to find an account of Adam's last whereabouts to know that Hiro took him somewhere. It would be easy for them to assume that Hiro still has him hidden away."

"They're not going to attack Hiro on an assumption. They won't tip their hands on an assumption and risk being discovered. They'd have to KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that Hiro still has him before they acted." Noah frowned. "But if they KNOW that Hiro AND Miriam both have Adam's whereabouts, they'd act to free him. WHO ELSE knows that Miriam and Hiro definitely know where Adam's being held?"

Matt shook his head. "You, me, Sylar, Justine, Elle-"

"-Justine said that Miriam told her and Elle about it last night in the bar." Sylar added.

"Fuck." Noah whispered. "If someone were following them, listening-"

"Why would someone be following Miriam and Justine?" Matt asked.

"Because they're Adam's daughters. Follow the daughters long enough, you might find the father." Noah sighed. "If someone followed them to that bar and overheard-"

"-Miriam's screwed." Sylar closed his eyes. "Hiro too."

"Not just Miriam and Hiro, Sylar." Noah stared at the floor. "Anyone close to either of them would be in potential danger."

"Justine." Sylar whispered. He shuddered and closed his eyes. "Isabelle."

Matt shook his head again. "Do you really think that could happen?"

"I hope not." Noah muttered.

* * *

Papeete, Tahiti

A young woman who, until March 2 had been called Sophie Page sat at her table on the balcony of her hotel room, staring out at the water as she played with a simple gold band that encircled the third finger of her left hand. She sighed sadly as she glanced down at the ring, the corners of her mouth pulling down. She slowly stood and walked into her hotel room, wiping away a tear as she stretched out on her bed, her long, light brown hair fanning out on the mattress. She thought about her husband, a man she hadn't seen in over six months, a man she'd only known for a week, but had heard of for her entire life before she'd eloped with him. She'd spent her entire life being told of him, the man who couldn't age. Her parents had been followers of his for years and had told her stories about him as she'd grown up. The moment she finally met him, she fell in love at first sight. He had been a legend to her all of her life, a man that, she had been told, was capable of saving the world if he had enough believers. When he'd asked her to marry him, she'd immediately accepted and the morning they'd married was the happiest day of her life. He'd left her the night after their wedding, citing 'dangerous business' and extracting a promise from her to track him down if she hadn't heard from him in a month.

She'd spent the last five months searching for him to no avail, sending out messages to a list of her friends, others who had worshipped him as she had, who had canonized him in their minds after hearing the stories of his adventures over the years, asking them to join her in her search. Her friends were currently searching far and wide for her. Her heart would leap with every ring of her phone, every knock on the door of her room, only to have her hopes dashed to receive the news that he had yet to be found. Rubbing her eyes, Sophie took a deep breath. "Adam, where are you?" She asked softly.

She sat up and reached for her cell phone as it began to ring, steeling herself for more bad news. "Hello." She whispered, her French-accented voice thick with emotion.

"Mrs. Munroe?" She recognized the voice of Lucinda Parks, a young woman who lived in Oregon, who had been tasked with following Adam's daughters since they'd been discovered living in Seattle. Sophie had seen pictures of the daughters, twins who were nearly four years her senior. She'd hated the girls on sight, noticing how much they obviously resembled their mother, a woman who had betrayed Adam and helped lock him away for thirty years. Sophie wanted nothing more than to obliterate those two women who were obviously not worthy of carrying on Adam's legacy. She wanted to give him children that, in her mind, WOULD be worthy of Adam and his glory. She knew in her heart that one day, she would be the one that would undoubtedly bring those two women to their knees before their father, just before he killed them.

"Yes Lucy?" Sophie asked.

"We have a lead."

As those four words were uttered, Sophie smiled, her pale blue eyes sparkling. "Tell me more." She sighed happily.

* * *

Sylar glanced over his shoulder at Justine as she sat with Miriam on the small private jet that flew back to Hartsdale. He smiled softly, noticing the way she and Miriam's heads touched as they slept. Turning back, he glanced over at Matt, smiling sheepishly as Matt rolled his eyes. "You've got it bad, don't you?" Matt asked him.

"I think I do, yes." Sylar shook his head. "It's hard to believe that just a few days ago, I wanted to kill her. Now, I want to keep her alive and close to me. I think I'm falling in love, Matt."

"Are you sure that's YOUR doing or-?" He cocked his head over at Izzie as she sat across from her sisters, staring at them intensely.

Sylar shrugged. "I don't know. Why would Izzie want me to fall in love with her sister?"

"Maybe she wants to keep it in the family?" Matt sighed. "I don't know. Maybe she thought if she put a subconscious thought of passion in your mind whenever you looked at Justine, you'd refrain from killing her."

"I don't think so." Sylar stared at his hands. "I started having feelings for Justine before Izzie started to warm up to me."

"Oh?" Matt asked.

"Yeah." Sylar nodded. "When she got sick. Actually, I started to respect her when we were fighting in the house. She put up a hell of a fight, even after she touched me and got sick. She kept fighting me, just like Miriam. I respected Miriam's fight as well, but even more so with Justine, I think. I helped her and Isabelle escape and then I nursed Justine back to health."

"And THAT'S what got you all heated up over Justine? Nursing her back to health?"

"Well, she's very pretty, even a blind man could tell that one, but it was her strength that attracted me more than her looks, at least until I stripped her down to her underwear." Noticing the way Matt stared at him, Sylar shrugged. "She was running a very high fever, I had to strip her down and put her in a cold bath."

"Uh-huh." Matt nodded.

"And then she kept fighting me when I tried to give her medicine, even though she was burning up and sick as a dog, she fought me, so I had to climb into the tub with her to make her take the medicine to bring her fever down."

Matt smirked. "And then afterwards, you stripped her naked, got a load of her body and-"

"-Stop reading my mind, okay?" Sylar shrugged. "If Miriam's body's anything like Justine's, you'd have started falling for her too." He glared at his half-brother. "Besides, you've got some nerve mocking ME about thinking that I love Justine."

"Why is that?" Matt stared at him, amused.

"Hell, all it took for you to start getting mushy over Miriam was watching her get protective of Izzie and you were putty in her hands, right?"

Matt grinned and nodded. "That and the night we spent together in my hotel room before Victoria's funeral."

"Exactly. You fell in love after one night. Hell, at least I took a few days." Sylar turned and stared at Justine again as she slept, noticing the way she frowned in her sleep, her eyes darting under her eyelids. "She must be having one hell of a dream."

Matt turned and watched her before noticing that Miriam was doing the same thing. "She's not the only one, apparently." He turned back to Sylar. "So you think you're in love with Justine, huh? Enough to give up killing?"

"I don't know." Sylar shrugged. "If I said 'yes', no one would believe me anyway, right?"

"Not at first, no." Matt shook his head.

Elle turned and watched Isabelle for a moment before turning back to Noah. "You asked Miriam and Justine if they had any gray spots in their memories of growing up, anything that seemed out of the ordinary. You think that The Haitian may have erased their memories of this uncle that Daddy mentioned?"

"Possibly." Noah frowned. "When I was going through Bob's files, I spent a lot of time researching the twins and Isabelle.There was one file of Bob's on his computer about the Pratt family that was hidden. I found the file but I couldn't crack the password to it. I tried your name, your birthday, Janelle's name, Janelle's birthday, Bob's birthday, his usual password-"

"-'Goldfinger'?" Elle giggled.

Noah grinned. "Right. I couldn't crack it, though. I'm wondering if information about that uncle was in there."

"Why would he keep it hidden?" Elle asked.

Noah shook his head. "I don't know. I have a feeling the answer is right under our nose, but I simply can't figure it out."

"So how do you think the twins can access the erased memories, if they've even BEEN visited by The Haitian?"

Noah stared off into space. "I found a file that Bob had on Adam. He experimented on Adam's healing abilities while he was a 'guest' in Hartsdale. One of the experiments was on memory recovery after being visited by The Haitian. They discovered that Adam could recover memories by healing the part of the brain that had been damaged, he just had to have something jog his memory first. He had to remember that he'd been forced to forget something in the first place."

"Weird." Elle frowned. "You know, Isabelle recovered my memories and helped ME to recover them by leading me around the 'blocks' that had been set up by the damage The Haitian caused. What if she can do that with the twins?"

Noah shrugged. "She'd have to be able to get access to their memories first. Doesn't she get 'feedback' when she tries to read their minds, like what happens when Matt tries to read their minds?"

"Maybe when they're awake." Elle turned and studied Isabelle again, noticing the intense way she stared at her sisters as they slept. Noah turned and followed Elle's gaze. "What about when they're sleeping?" She and Noah exchanged a look before turning to study the twins again.

Miriam frowned, her mind filling with images from her childhood, images that she was suddenly remembering as they came to her in a flood. She remembered a tall man with fiery red hair and twinkling blue-green eyes that watched them closely as they unwrapped Christmas presents with a smile on his face, his arms always tucked behind his back. She remembered him again on her twelfth birthday, his hair now shot with white and silver as he blew them a kiss, standing beside a petite, pretty blond. She remembered watching him sit at the dinner table in Maine with his blond wife, laughing heartily with Victoria as they talked about their childhood.

"Oh wait, remember that time in college when we-?" The blond began to tell a story of her sorority days as Victoria added to the tale, both of them giggling and laughing like teenagers until Victoria finally buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking with laughter as Miriam, Justine and a young boy beside them all shook their heads and rolled their eyes.

She remembered the boy. He was four years older than they were, short in stature, with equally fiery hair and eyes that matched his father's. She remembered how he'd cheered the Christmas that they were twelve and he was sixteen when his father and mother handed him the keys to a jeep that had been parked in the driveway of the house in Maine, turning to the twins and jerking his head towards it.

"First ride is for my cousins!" He yelped as he barreled towards the jeep, Miriam and Justine hot on his heels as he jumped in and cranked it up before flying out of the driveway with them in the backseat, Def Leppard booming through the stereo as Victoria and the blond woman (Aunt Evelyn, she remembered her name was Aunt Evelyn) called out to them.

"KIT! SLOW DOWN!"

Justine also struggled through a flood of memories as they came to her in a dream. She remembered parts of Isabelle's christening that she hadn't known that she'd forgotten. She remembered sitting in the front pew of a small church in Bangor with Miriam at fourteen, watching as the man, his hair now completely white stood with his small blond wife behind Victoria. Arthur and Angela Petrelli had stood across from them as a priest took Isabelle from Victoria's arms and placed her in Angela's before sprinkling her with holy water. She remembered how the white-haired man had put an arm around Victoria's shoulders, kissing her cheek.

"I'm so proud of you, Sis. She's beautiful." He whispered.

Justine remembered turning to the young man that sat beside her, noticing the quirky grin he gave her, his red eyebrows shooting skyward. "Looks like you two girls are going to be on diaper duty. Guess that'll cut into your boy-chasing time, huh?"

"Who cares, Kit? Isn't she adorable?" Justine sighed.

"I guess." He muttered. "Glad Mom and Dad decided to quit with me." He chuckled. "Of course, I wasn't even supposed to be here with Dad's sperm count in the single digits. You two girls might be all powerful and shit, but I'm the REAL miracle in this family."

"Yeah you are." Justine said lovingly as she ruffled his hair, laughing as he ducked away from her hands.

"Cut it out! I'm older than you, you have to listen to me!"

"Yeah, but you're shorter!" Miriam giggled.

"Girls!" They turned to see Victoria staring at them from the altar, exasperated. "Honestly, we're in a church. Show a little bit of respect."

"Yes ma'am." They chimed in unison. They turned to notice the amused way he studied them, his blue eyes twinkling as he winked at them.

Their uncle . . .

Justine and Miriam both bolted awake at the same time. They turned to stare at each other in shock before turning to lock eyes with Isabelle. Isabelle nodded softly, her dark brown eyes filling with tears.

"Uncle Roger." She whispered.

"Oh my God." Miriam closed her eyes. "Uncle Roger."


	18. Chapter 18:The Mystery of Roger Chase

Chapter Eighteen: The Mystery of Roger Chase

October 7, 2007

Primatech Paper Company Jet

Matt, Sylar, Noah and Elle all turned to stare at Miriam, Justine and Isabelle as they sat in their seats on the plane, a dazed look on their faces. Matt cleared his throat and spoke first. "You girls okay?"

Miriam blinked and turned to him, stunned. She glanced over at her sisters as Isabelle and Justine both gave her warning looks. Turning back to Matt, she nodded quickly. "Yeah, I'm good."

"You guys figure out who that uncle was?" Elle asked.

Miriam started to speak in the affirmative when she heard Noah's thoughts. _Say nothing out loud. This plane could be bugged._

Miriam's eyes quickly darted to Elle as she frowned. She shook her head quickly and looked away. "No, we haven't come up with anything. I just had a bad dream, that's all."

"Me too." Justine nodded in agreement.

Miriam took a deep breath as she met Matt's eyes. _We're in a shitload of trouble, Matt._

Matt stared at her for a moment before nodding and answered her back telepathically. _You DID remember him? Didn't you? You know who he is now?_

Miriam nodded again, her lips pressing into a tight line as she glanced over at Noah, bringing him into the mental conversation. _The uncle that we had, that was erased from our memories? It's Roger Chase._

Matt's eyes widened. _The guy in that photograph of the twelve? The man with the white hair? I thought he was dead._

Noah lowered his eyes. _No. He's not dead. He's the man we've been tasked to hunt._

Matt turned to Noah, his mouth hanging open. _The 'Roger' that we're going to be hunting, the 'Roger' that has turned into some sort of bloodthirsty beast is ROGER CHASE? He was one of the original members of the twelve. When I was researching the photograph, I found out that he died almost twelve years ago. He was a geneticist that was killed after a fire broke out in his home. He and his wife Evelyn were BOTH killed in that fire, along with another member of the twelve, Delta Scott. Bob showed me what he claimed was an unabridged file on Roger when he first tasked me to getting a team together to find him. Obviously he lied about that if he's your uncle. _Noah frowned at Miriam. _How is he related to you?_

_He and Mom were brother and sister._ Miriam's brow furrowed as she tried to process the flood of memories that Isabelle had released. _He's her half-brother, actually. They had the same mother, different fathers. I can remember Mom and Uncle Roger telling us about it now. My grandmother, a woman named Siobhan Reilly lived in Boston. She met and married a man named Roger Christopher Chase IV in 1939. His family was very wealthy and they looked down on Siobhan because she came from a working-class Irish family. They weren't thrilled with Roger for marrying her either. In fact, they cut him off from the family's money. The only person that continued to speak with him afterwards was his sister Nathalie, mainly because she had also pissed her parents off by marrying a man they felt was 'beneath' her as well. _

_Roger joined the Navy and was sent to Pearl Harbor, right before the Japanese attacked them. He was killed. His son was born seven months later. One of Roger's best friends who joined with him and barely survived the attack returned to Boston with Roger's remains. His name was Victor Pratt. He apparently promised Roger that if he died, he would take care of Siobhan. He ended up marrying her and my mother was born soon after D-Day. Victor and Siobhan raised Uncle Roger to be proud of his father and his sacrifice and apparently Victor also never showed favoritism between his stepson and his natural daughter. As a result, Uncle Roger and Mom were very close. _

Justine entered the 'conversation', nodding. _They were very close, indeed. When Mom went away to college, she had two roommates that became her sorority sisters: Angela Girardo and Evelyn Harris. She introduced Evelyn to her brother and they married._

Miriam's eyes widened. _And she introduced Angela to Roger's cousin Arthur. Arthur was Nathalie's son-_

_-Arthur Petrelli._ Justine shook her head, stifling a giggle. _Angela was a member of our family, sort of._

_Mom and Arthur weren't cousins, but he and Roger were, and they were close as well. Mom grew up with Roger and Arthur, she thought of him as family._

_Holy shit! Are you serious?_ Matt shook his head. _And Angela never said anything to the two of you about this? _

Miriam shook her head. _If The Haitian erased OUR memories of Uncle Roger, who's to say that he didn't do the same to Angela and Arthur._

Matt turned away from them, sinking in his seat as this new revelation sunk in. _This is seriously fucked up._

Miriam stared at Noah. _When we get to Primatech-_

_-You're going to pretend that you know NOTHING! _Noah gave her a warning look.

Miriam's eyes narrowed. _He fucked with our heads, made Mom forget a brother that she adored, made ALL of us forget-_

_-Just humor me for now._ Noah nodded at her. _Please? I want to bring Peter and Nathan in on this._

_If Bob thinks that I'm going out there to kill my uncle, he's seriously mistaken. If YOU think I'm going to kill him-_

_-I was never planning on taking you out there to kill him. _Noah smiled as Miriam's eyes widened in surprise. _Have a LITTLE faith in me, please, okay? Can you and your sisters stay cool for now and pretend that you don't remember your uncle? I want to get the entire team together to discuss EVERYTHING and hear my entire plan before you start trying to get your vengeance on._

Miriam, Justine and Isabelle exchanged a look before turning back to Noah, nodding. _We can be cool for now, but Noah, there's something else we've remembered. _Miriam told him.

Noah frowned. _What else have you remembered? _

_We have a cousin out there. Roger and Evelyn had a son named Roger Christopher Chase VI. They called him Kit. He's out there somewhere and we want to find him. _

Noah nodded. _We will._

Sylar sighed and turned around, giving Noah and the twins a sarcastic grin. "It's really quiet in here. Can I join in on the mental convo you all are obviously having together? I'm feeling a bit left out in the cold here."

Justine glared at him. "Get used to it."

* * *

As soon as they landed a van met them on the airport tarmac and quickly escorted them to the facility in Hartsdale. Bob's eyes widened when he spotted Sylar climbing out of the van. "Excuse me, but what on EARTH is HE doing here?"

"It's cool, Daddy. He's on our side now." Elle breezed as she walked past him into the building.

"Sylar doesn't HAVE a side." Bob glared at him before turning his attention to Noah. "I didn't give permission for HIM to return with you." He turned to Miriam. "And I thought YOU were going to KILL him!"

Miriam shrugged as she placed a protective arm around Isabelle, who buried her face in her chest to avoid Bob's glare. "I didn't want to kill Matt and Isabelle's brother in front of them. That would be bad form, don't you think?"

Bob pursed his lips as Miriam stared him down with a steely gaze. He finally broke the stare and turned to Sylar, his brow furrowing as he noticed the angry way the younger man was glaring at him. "Miriam had conditions to joining us. I suppose YOU have some as well?"

Sylar smiled softly at him. "I want the same reward that my sister and her sisters are getting-"

"-Done-" Bob nodded.

"-and when I'm done with this, I don't want to even THINK I smell your foul stench of the stench of any of your other agents coming for me for any more 'experiments', even if I kill a football stadium full of specials, got it?"

"Okay." Bob whispered. "Anything else?"

"Yeah." Sylar stepped closer to Bob, his eyes glittering dangerously. "If you even LOOK in my baby sister's direction after everything you've done to her, I'll kill you slowly and with a great deal of pleasure."

Bob swallowed audibly. "I see. Agreed." Bob nodded as Sylar's face broke into a wide, jovial grin.

"Excellent!" Sylar grabbed Bob's hand, pumping it up and down as he clapped him on the back with his other hand. Miriam and Justine looked away, trying not to laugh as Bob cringed and tried to pull away from Sylar. "Well then, Mr. Bishop, I'm glad to join your team!" He let Bob go after another vigorous clap on the back nearly pitched the older man forward. "So! Where's this evil man-beast we're supposed to hunt? I want to know EVERYTHING about him!"

Bob adjusted his glasses as he skittered away from Sylar. He turned to Noah, glancing over at Sylar nervously. "Would you mind calling the Petrelli brothers and having them come here? I'll give everyone all of the details on your prey once everyone arrives."

"Will do." Noah nodded as Bob began to half-run towards his office from the garage.

Matt cleared his throat. "Bob?" He smiled tightly at Bob as he turned to him. "Molly and Maya, they're not still here, are they?"

Bob adjusted his glasses again and shook his head. "As soon as you left for Oregon, I had a team drive them back to Brooklyn. Mohinder's there with them today. I'll send for him."

Matt nodded. "Good. I've still got to find a way to break it to Maya that Sylar's still alive and tell them both that he's my brother." He grimaced. "I have no idea how I'm going to explain all of this to Molly."

Sylar frowned and stared at the floor contritely. "I'll make sure that I keep away from Molly as much as I can, considering what I've done to her."

"That's a good idea." Matt glanced over at him as Bob stared at them both, stunned before turning and quickly walking back into the building towards his office.

Miriam finally started laughing out loud. "OH! MY! GOD! What I wouldn't give to have had a video of that." She turned to Sylar, finally smiling at him. "I think he shit himself."

Sylar shrugged. "I meant every word I said too, if he even glances in Izzie's direction, I'm going to rip his arm off and beat him to death with it."

"Well, someone's discovered their inner over-protective big brother." Miriam stroked Isabelle's hair. "He's gone, Iz." She smiled down at Isabelle, tucking a lock of dark hair behind her ear as she let Miriam go. "And Big Brother Sylar-"

"-Gabriel. His name is Gabriel." Isabelle interjected.

"I prefer Sylar from everyone else, thank you." Sylar muttered, his cheeks turning red.

Miriam stared at Sylar for a moment, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "Big Brother GABRIEL scared Bob so badly, I don't think you're ever going to have to worry about him again."

"Oh God! MY NAME IS SYLAR, People!" Sylar rolled his eyes. "Izzie's the only one I'll even remotely allow calling me Gabriel, got it?"

"Whatever, Gabriel." Miriam smirked. "By the way, if I were you, I'd get Bob's 'promises' on paper. It won't do much good, probably, but at least you'll have proof that he's a big, fat liar when he reneges."

"Gee, thanks." Sylar followed the twins, Isabelle and Matt into the building with Noah following behind the rest of them. "So where are we all staying until we have to go out and search for Manimal?"

"His name is Roger." Miriam growled.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize that you and the slashy man-beast were buddies." Sylar quipped. "One of the many men you fucked over the years?"

As Miriam turned to him, her expression a mixture of fury and disgust, Noah stepped forward, stopping her. _Don't discuss ANYTHING here, Miriam. This place is bugged to the hilt._

Miriam glanced up at Noah and nodded. "We might go out and hunt Roger. We might follow Bob's orders and kill him, but remember this, GABRIEL, Roger is still a person underneath everything and he deserves a little dignity and respect, got it? Maybe you should remember that about ALL of the people you've killed over the past months, including your own mother." As the blood drained from Sylar's face, Miriam smirked and walked away, leading Isabelle towards their quarters.

Matt glanced at Sylar, and shrugged. "You really shouldn't have pushed her buttons, Bro." He shook his head and followed Miriam.

Sylar glared after them. "Okay, what the FUCK did I say wrong THIS time?"

Noah shook his head as he nodded towards the wing with all of the sleeping quarters. "You'll find out soon enough."

* * *

Two hours later, Nathan and Peter arrived at Primatech. Nathan glared at the building as he climbed out of his car. "God, this place gives me the creeps now that I know what it REALLY is."

"Tell me about it." Peter shook his head. "And I was a prisoner here for a few months."

"Let's hope they don't try to lock either of us up again." Nathan adjusted his tie as he walked with Peter into the building. They were quickly led past the Primatech façade towards the part of the building that housed the company. As they were led into a conference room, Peter frowned as he caught a glimpse of a tall, dark haired man walking past through one of the halls behind him. Nathan stared at him. "What's up with you?"

Peter shook his head. "Dunno. Just thought I saw-" he shook his head again "-nah! They'd never let HIM in here, not in a million years."

As Miriam finished brushing Isabelle's hair, she looked up to see Elle dashing into her room, out of breath. "What's up with you?"

Elle blushed as she held up two different outfits. "Peter's here."

Miriam wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Scumbag." She muttered.

"MIR!" Elle fidgeted nervously as she shook the two outfits. "What should I wear?" She held out one outfit consisting of a white halter top with a navy blue miniskirt and a matching blazer. "Should I go business sexy or" she held out a boat-neck pullover with red capris "casual?"

Miriam frowned. "Why?"

"Why what?" Elle bit her lip.

"Why are you so freaked about your clothes?"

"Because it's PETER!" Elle hopped back and forth on her tiptoes. "You KNOW how I feel about him."

"And I know he doesn't deserve you." Miriam sighed as Elle gave her a pleading look. "Fine, but you can do SO much better than that little weasel." Miriam studied the outfits. "Put the white halter with the red capris and pair them with a strappy pair of red sandals for casual sexy."

Elle nodded. "You're the best!" She squealed as she turned and ran out of the room, nearly running into Justine.

Justine sighed. "What's up with her?"

"The Mother-Killer is here with his high-flying brother." Miriam quipped.

"Lovely." Justine noticed the glint in her twin sister's eyes. "Mir-"

"-Don't start." Miriam muttered.

"That's what I was going to tell YOU to do. Don't start anything with Peter and don't hurt him. You promised Angela and besides, we're all in this together."

"You're such a little Girl Scout sometimes. I don't give two shits what I promised Angela, he had a hand in Mom's death and I will avenge that."

"Miriam, I'm serious. You've heard what happened, Peter was misled by Adam, it happens." Miriam stared at her twin darkly for a moment before turning and walking out of the room. Justine sighed as she turned to Isabelle. "Let's go. I think my evil twin is going to need some reining in."

Peter and Nathan paced around the conference room, frowning as they continued to glance at the door. "Where is everybody?" Peter asked.

"I don't know." Nathan shrugged. He looked up as the door opened and grinned as Matt walked in with Noah. "Hello guys!"

Matt beamed. "HEY!" He clapped Nathan on the back before turning and shaking Peter's hand. "How's it going?"

Peter nodded. "Okay. You? Did you find your sister?" Matt nodded. "What about your girl?"

Matt grinned. "She's great, they're both great, Justine is too. Wait until you meet them." His smile faded for a moment. "One thing though, you know my sister's autistic, right?"

Nathan smiled softly. "We know, so if she doesn't want to talk or look at us, we're not going to get offended."

"Great." Matt turned towards the door, his smile widening as Miriam walked into the room, followed quickly behind by Justine and Isabelle. "I was just talking about all of you!"

"I'm sure." Miriam stared angrily at Peter. "So you're Peter Petrelli."

Peter nodded as he lowered his eyes. "I am. I take it the three of you are Victoria Pratt's daughters?"

Miriam stepped towards him. "Yeah. We are. I'm Miriam. Standing in the doorway are my twin sister Justine and our younger sister Isabelle."

Peter glanced over at them, the corners of his mouth turning down as Isabelle stared at him for a moment before looking away, her eyes filling with tears. "Isabelle. She's the one who found your mother's body."

Miriam nodded slowly. "Yeah. She's the one who found Mom's body."

_Matt, grab her!_ Matt turned to see Justine staring at him, her eyes pleading. _Grab her NOW!_

Matt turned towards Miriam, but before he could step towards her, she shrieked angrily and punched Peter in the jaw, knocking him to the floor. Before Nathan and Matt could react, Miriam was on top of Peter, yelling angrily as she began to pummel him. Peter lay under her, refusing to fight back. "That's for Isabelle, that's for Justine, this is for me and this" as Nathan charged towards her, she punched Peter in the chest, her fist going through his ribs as Peter gasped. Her hand pulled out with a sickening squish, holding his beating heart "THAT'S FOR MY MOTHER, YOU ASS!"

"WHAT THE FUCK!" Nathan grabbed Miriam, pulling her off of his brother as he alternated between staring at the heart in her hands and Peter's gaping chest in horror. "What did you JUST do?"

Miriam glared down at Peter. "Give him a minute." She nodded as a new heart grew in the hole in Peter's chest and was quickly covered as muscle, then bone, then muscle and skin grew over the hole. Peter gasped and sat up, staring up at Miriam as she glared back down at him. She nodded as she turned, setting the heart in her hands down on the table. "Now we're even." She turned on her heel and marched out of the conference room. "Be right back. I need to wash my hands."

"Take your time." Nathan gasped. He stared at Matt. "Lovely girl you have there, really. I can see why you're so crazy about her." He turned and helped Peter up, staring at the heart on the table before hugging his brother. "You okay?"

Peter nodded. "I had it coming, trust me on that." He stared at what remained of his shirt. "Anybody got a shirt I can borrow?"

"I'll find something, hang on." Matt shook his head, his face pale as he stepped past Justine to head to his quarters.

Justine shrugged as Nathan looked up at her. "Sorry about that." She turned to Peter. "She tends to get a bit Biblical in her revenge. Just be glad she didn't rip out your eye or anything."

"Yeah, because that couldn't have hurt more than ripping out my heart." Peter stared at the heart on the table for a moment before reaching out and taking it in his hand. "Freaky."

"Tell me about it." Nathan winked at him. "Hell, we get short of money in the family, I'll just tie you down and do that myself to sell on the black market."

Peter chuckled softly. "You'd probably get more money if it were made of this." He concentrated on the organ in his hand, nodding as it turned to solid gold.

"Hell of a trick." Nathan whistled.

"I know. I can do all of that too." Justine grinned. She reached out and picked up the gold heart, studying it. "Heavy."

"Yeah." Peter nodded sadly. "It was heavy in here too." He tapped at his chest before raising his eyes to Justine. "If you want to smack me down too, go ahead. I deserve it."

Justine raised an eyebrow at him as she set the heart down on the table. "I think you've been punished enough." She shook her head as Peter lowered his, staring at the floor again. "In fact, I have a feeling you're punishing yourself much more than I or Isabelle or even Miriam could."

"I guess." He lifted his head again, his eyes filling with tears. "I really am sorry. If I could go back-" he sighed "-well, actually I COULD go back, but-"

"-everything happens for a reason." Justine's lip quivered as she looked away. "I'm sure there was a reason Mom died, besides the fact that you and my fa-" she grimaced "-ADAM had a hand in her death."

"Someone that I was once friends with, a man named Hiro Nakamura, was a strong believer in destiny." Peter shook his head helplessly. "I wish I knew what kind of destiny meant that I had to have a hand in causing an innocent woman's death, not to mention hurting her daughters." He turned to Isabelle and knelt in front of her, his eyes filling with tears as she avoided his gaze. "Isabelle. I'm very sorry for my part in causing your mother's death and I'm even sorrier because it hurt your sisters and it hurt you. I'm sorry that you had to come home and find your mother that way. If I could take it back, I would." He reached out and took the gold heart and placed it in Isabelle's hands. "I would tear it out again myself, time after time if it could bring your mother back." Isabelle nodded slowly, studying the heart as Peter watched her. "I have a niece that's your age. You've probably heard Noah talking about her since he's the man that adopted her. Her name is Claire. If someone hurt her the way that my actions have hurt you, I'd never forgive them and I'll understand if you can never forgive me. She's maybe a year older than you are, but that's all." He smiled softly. "You're both the same height too."

"She's the tiny one in the family." Justine whispered. She frowned, remembering her cousin Kit and how short he was. "Then again, maybe Mir and I are the tall ones." She turned for a moment, her eyes meeting Nathan's and was surprised to realize that he was watching her. Raising an eyebrow at him, she bit her cheek to keep from laughing as he blushed and looked away. She turned, her eyes meeting Matt's as he returned, handing Peter a clean shirt. Matt stared at Justine, confused as she shrugged and rolled her eyes.

Clearing his throat, Nathan stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets. "So, when's the rest of the team getting here?"

* * *

Elle met Miriam in the hallway as she headed towards the bathroom. Staring at Miriam's bloodied hands, Elle gasped. "OH MY GOD! What happened?"

"Ripped Peter Petrelli's heart out. " Miriam muttered as she pushed the bathroom door open with her hip before walking over to a sink. She stared at the faucet, turning the water on telekinetically before she began to wash her hands.

"You did WHAT?" Elle's eyes widened in horror. "Please tell me you're joking."

Miriam shrugged. "Fine. I'm joking."

Slumping against a wall, Elle closed her eyes. "You're not joking."

"Nope." Miriam shook her head.

"Why would you DO something like that?" Elle wailed. As Miriam started to speak, Elle held up a hand, shushing her. "Because of your mother, I get it." She sighed. "So is he alive?"

"Yep!" Miriam rinsed the soap suds from her hands and shook them before turning to a towel to dry them off. "A brand new heart grew in his chest and everything closed over. I wonder if I did that to his brain if he'd finally grow one that actually worked properly."

"Are you going to KEEP yanking off body parts whenever you see him?" Elle asked.

"I don't know." Miriam mused. "I haven't decided yet."

"Miriam-"

"-I'll behave." Miriam rolled her eyes. "For you, I'll behave. I just needed to get the urge to beat him down out of my system, okay?"

"Okay." Elle stood up straight and twirled in her outfit. "Well? How do I look?"

"Like someone who deserves better than a whiny-ass emo with half a brain." Miriam sighed. "You look lovely."

"Thank you." Elle took Miriam's arm and began to steer her back towards the conference room. "Okay, now PROMISE you'll behave now?"

"Fine. I promise I'll behave now." Miriam nodded to Elle. "As long as YOU promise not to throw yourself at Peter, deal?"

"Deal." Elle frowned. "When you say throw myself, you mean-"

"-Don't walk in there like an excited puppy whose master has just come home. Don't jump all over him and start squealing and smother him. You're pretty and he should be able to notice that on his own if he had even a lick of sense, which I doubt he does. Walk in and play it cool. Greet everyone else BUT Peter first and act like his being there doesn't affect you one bit. Don't make eye contact with him, even if you think he's staring at you and don't speak to him unless he speaks to you first."

"In other words, ignore him?" Elle made a face. "But-"

"-If he knows that you're dying to be around him, he'll get smug. Make him notice you, but pretend like you don't notice him even a little bit. It'll drive him nuts."

"How do you know this?" Elle asked.

"How do you think I've gotten as many notches on my bedpost that I have?" Miriam nodded. "Play it cool and play hard to get. It never fails."

"Okay." Elle stopped in front of the conference room door, her eyes widening as she clutched at Miriam's arm. "My heart is pounding. How did he look earlier?"

"Shocked as hell when I was beating the shit out of him." Elle glared at Miriam. "His heart looked healthy enough, probably eats all of the veggies that his Mommy puts in front of him." She smirked as Elle rolled her eyes and opened the door, smiling at Matt, Justine and Isabelle as she sauntered past Peter and took a seat at the table.

Matt walked over to Miriam as she leaned in the doorway, shaking her head at her friend. "Are we going to have another encore of your little tantrum from earlier?"

Miriam smiled at him playfully as Nathan and Peter watched her, their eyes filled with wariness. "I don't know" she whispered "did it turn you on?"

Matt laughed softly. "No, it kind of grossed me out, to tell you the truth."

"Fine." Miriam kissed him gently on the lips as Nathan and Peter exchanged looks. "I'll be a very good girl for now."

"You can be a naughty girl later, if you want." Matt winked at her.

"Oh, I'll be very naughty indeed." Miriam kissed him again before taking a seat at the conference table beside Justine with Matt sitting on her other side.

Justine glared at her. "What you did earlier-"

"-I don't want to hear it. You're just pissed because I did it first."

"I am not! I'm horrified that you did that to him." Justine hissed. "Honestly, Miriam! These guys are going to be on a team with us."

"Then it's a good thing I got my fury out of my system now as opposed to later. It would be a shame if he got fragged on the field, don't you think?" Miriam smirked as Justine looked away, her blue-green eyes blazing. Miriam stared at the golden heart in Isabelle's hands. "What in the hell is that?"

"My heart." Peter whispered. "I gave it to her."

"Lovely." Miriam quipped.

"If I could rip it out myself-"

"-Spare me, okay?" Miriam glared at him. "I'm going to behave around you from here on out because we're a team and we have to work together, but no platitudes and apologies will ever keep me from looking at you and seeing one of my mother's murderers, got it? Unless you can bring back my mother, I don't want to talk to you about anything other than this assignment and when we're done, I don't want to talk to you again, ever. Do you understand me?" Peter nodded mutely as Miriam looked away. "Thank you."

"Miriam-" Justine sighed.

"-Don't start." Miriam caught Elle's eye and noticed the pleading look she gave her. She rolled her eyes and looked away. "Where are Bob, Mohinder and Sylar at, anyway?"

"SYLAR?" Peter's eyes widened. "What the hell is HE doing here?"

"What's the matter?" Miriam smirked. "Afraid he's going to try and kill you, yet again?"

"That won't be happening." Peter looked up, his mouth gaping open as Sylar strolled into the room, his eyes twinkling with mischief as he took a seat beside Matt. "How's that shirt working out for you?" He nodded towards Matt. "My brother here told me that Miriam got a little cranky with you earlier and messed up your shirt. I gladly offered one of my own. Does it fit okay?" He grinned as Peter fidgeted and looked around, confused. "Oh, you didn't hear, huh? Matt and I are brothers. Well, half-brothers really, but we're already bonding just like full-blood brothers. Isabelle there is our sister. It seems that Maury Parkman was once a naughty man, not that I mind. It's nice to know that I'm both a little brother AND a big brother. It really puts my life into perspective."

Miriam snorted. "My God, could you BE more full of shit?"

Sylar shrugged. "Oh come on now, Miriam! You know you love me to death. We have a sister in common and well, who knows? If I play my cards right with Justine, we could all end up even closer in relation than we are now." As Miriam and Justine both glared at him, Sylar turned back to Peter. "So tell me, is it true that Miriam ripped your heart out? That had to smart! Too bad I wasn't around to see it happen. Oh well, I'm just glad to know that I'm apparently not Miriam's number one whipping boy anymore. The worst she did to me was electrocute me, knock me off of a balcony, break my ankles and beat the crap out of me, and that was just for banging her twin sister."

"Sylar-" Miriam growled.

"-but hey, at least I still have my heart, right?" Sylar guffawed. "And I got laid on top of it."

"Enjoy it, it'll be your last time with me." Justine hissed angrily as Nathan and Peter stared at her, their expressions a mixture of surprise and disgust.

"And in a way, I sort of got both twins at the same time, seeing as how they both seem to experience the same sensations, if you know what I mean." Sylar wiggled his eyebrows.

"Oh for crying out loud!" Matt turned to him, exasperated as Elle watched the exchanges with interest.

"What?" Sylar shrugged as Matt met him with a stony gaze. "Oh please! They're going to be on the team with us. They need to go ahead and know what's up with those two so if Justine's hanging out with the Brothers Petrelli and suddenly starts shrieking because you and Miriam are off somewhere doing the naughty-naughty, they won't think she's acting out her favorite scene from 'When Harry Met Sally'." He winked at Justine. "Or if you and I are off somewhere and Miriam's hanging out with the brothers."

Nathan leaned back in his chair, studying Justine as she glowered at Sylar. "So, let me get this straight. You two experience-"

"-Oh yeah!" Sylar nodded, wiggling his eyebrows. "If you prick one, does she not bleed?" He nodded again. "Well, yeah for a second before she heals, but her twin feels the prick too-"

"-speaking of pricks-" Miriam quipped.

"-if you tickle one, not only does SHE laugh, but her twin does too. If you poison one, she might die, for a second or two, but her twin feels just as shitty as the poisoned one does until it's over and" he grinned at Peter "-If you wrong one, does she not take revenge? You know the answer to that one now, don't you?" Peter stared at Sylar, stunned. Sylar winked. "Yeah, I've read 'The Merchant of Venice'. Miriam had a copy of it in her apartment in Boston. I went there to try and track her down after I lost her and her sisters at their mother's funeral and I hung out at her place for the night. I read her books, looked at her clothes" he turned to Miriam "and you really do love black leather, don't you?"

"You're twisted." Miriam muttered.

"Says the woman who read Shakespeare by day and worked in a bar smacking drunks around at night." Sylar looked up as Bob entered the room with Mohinder. "Oh look! It's my old pal Mo!"

Mohinder stared at Sylar in shock. "What in the bloody hell is he doing here?"

Sylar leaned back in his chair, putting his feet up on the table. "Just bonding with my big brother and my baby sister. Thanks for finding out that we're related, by the way. That little discovery couldn't have happened at a better time. It saved Miriam from bashing my head in."

Mohinder looked away in disgust. "Well, they do say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions."

"Then you're almost there, aren't you?" Sylar grinned at him. "Oh come on in and stop standing in the doorway! It's not like I'll attack you, at least not unless you attack me first." He turned to Matt. "Word of warning, if he makes tea, don't drink it."

Mohinder rolled his eyes as he skirted past Sylar to take a seat beside Peter. Bob looked around the room at everyone, his eyes settling on Sylar with disdain. "Do you mind?" He asked, pointing at Sylar's feet.

"I don't mind at all. I'm quite comfortable, actually." Sylar nodded.

"Sit up." Matt growled at him. "And take your feet off of the table."

"Yes MOM!" Sylar sat up, winking at Matt before turning back to Peter. "See? We're getting into the brotherly swing of things already."

Bob sighed as he turned to a wall, clicking a remote. A projector screen slowly descended as the lights went down. "It's time to get everyone here on the same page." He said dryly as he turned on a computer and a projector in the back of the room. With a click of a button, the screen showed the picture of The Twelve. "I'm sure all of you know who most of the people in this photograph are." He began to point out different people with a laser pointer. "Peter and Nathan, I'm sure you recognize your parents, even though your father turned his head just as the photograph was taken. Charles had just told a joke and your father was laughing about it." Bob smiled softly. "I'll just reveal the identities of each person starting from left to right in the first row. In the first row are Delta Scott, Charles Deveaux, and Hector Mendez. Delta was Charles Deveaux sister. Much like her brother and their father before them, she had a very interesting power. She could look at any mathematical equation and solve it in an instant. Numbers were so easy for her, she was brilliant. Hector Mendez was not in possession of any powers, but he was familiar with the concept, seeing that his father was special. He was also a gifted businessman. If I remember correctly, a few of you met Isaac Mendez before he passed away?" Bob nodded at Peter and Noah. "Isaac was Hector's nephew. He inherited the same gift that his grandfather had, the ability of precognition. Isaac's manifested itself through art, his grandfather Jorge Mendez would simply go into a trance and tell what he saw."

"Who is the other man seated beside Hector?" Sylar asked.

Miriam and Justine held hands under the table, blinking back tears as they recognized their uncle. Bob answered in a dry tone. "We'll get to HIM in a moment." Sighing, he pointed to the top row. "From left to right, you have Evelyn Chase, who also was not someone with power, but married into a powerful family. She was a quite darling woman who was excellent at diplomacy. She had a way over smoothing over everyone's egos and making everyone calm and serene with a few simple words." Miriam's eyes narrowed as Bob studied Evelyn, a soft smile playing on his lips before he continued pointing out the others. "Beside Evie is Daniel Linderman, Arthur and Angela Petrelli, Kaito Nakamura," Bob chuckled as he pointed himself out. "I'm sure you recognize that potato head, yes?" He laughed at his own joke as everyone rolled their eyes. "And standing to my left are Miriam, Justine and Isabelle's mother Victoria Pratt and Matt, Isabelle and Sylar's father, Maury Parkman."

Sylar frowned. "Okay, where did Matt, Izzie and I get OUR good looks from, because it wasn't from him?" Matt grinned and shook his head.

Ignoring Sylar, Bob pointed towards Roger. "You asked about the man seated beside Hector? That man is Roger Chase. His wife was Evelyn Chase. He is the man you will be hunting down and taking out."

Sylar frowned. "THAT is our quarry? That old, white-haired man is this beast that has you shaking in your shoes?" He turned and stared at Bob for a moment before he started laughing. "You're kidding, right? I thought we were chasing some sort of man-beast, this is just a sweet-looking old man!"

Bob frowned. "Roger wasn't always like that. He used to BE a sweet man." Bob clicked his remote and showed a close-up of Roger. "Roger Chase had the ability to change into an animal, usually a wolf, a lion or a tiger. It was a very upsetting power to him. When he changed, he stopped being a man and truly became the animal he turned into. The people that loved him, that were loyal to him found themselves put in harm's way whenever he let the beast out to play. Sometimes, he'd change without even meaning to in times of stress. Along with his powers, Roger was a scientist with a quite brilliant mind. He made quite a few inroads in genetics, inroads that later allowed Chandra Suresh and his son Mohinder to perfect his work."

"THAT is the Dr. Chase my father based his studies on?" Mohinder gasped. "My father worshipped him." He stared at Bob. "I thought Dr. Chase died in a home fire many years ago."

"That's the story we told." Bob stared off into space sadly. "Roger was terrified of his power and the fact that it put his wife in danger. He'd attacked her once many years ago when he changed into a tiger during an argument. She was able to lock herself in a safe room he'd created just for that occasion, but before she could get into the room, he'd slashed her leg to the bone. She had to have well over two-hundred stitches in her leg when Roger finally came back around and found her locked away. She'd nearly bled to death before he could get her to a hospital. After that incident, he started to study his own genetics, trying to find a way to suppress his powers to keep the beast from getting out. Instead of suppressing it, he made his power even stronger and more unpredictable. One night, nearly twelve years ago, only a week after this photograph was taken, he changed into a beast, a combination of man, lion, tiger and wolf and attacked not only Evelyn, but Delta Scott as well. Delta was unfortunate enough to have been visiting them that afternoon. He ripped both of the women to shreds." Bob clicked the remote and nodded as everyone gasped in horror at the image of the bodies of the two women. "They were in the safe room. Not only did he alter his genetics to end up taking on the personas of all of the beasts at once, he also heightened his strength. He bashed his way through the door to get to them and kill them. When he changed back to simply Roger and saw the horror that he'd perpetrated, he asked those of us that were remaining to lock him away. He was devastated that he'd killed his own wife and one of his dearest friends. We all agreed that he should be locked away in a maximum security prison of our making, a prison that not even he, with his heightened strength could break free of. A crew went to his home with a body of a male that was similar enough to Roger's to not be suspicious to any investigators. We set the house on fire with the bodies inside and changed Roger's dental records to match the records of the body we put in his stead. The official story was that a fire broke out in the kitchen, Roger, Evelyn and Delta were overcome by smoke and died before they could get out of the house. After we cleaned up Roger's mess, we built the prison on Ellesmere Island in the Nunavut Territory of Canada. It was a remote location that we thought could contain Roger, and it did until March."

"What happened in March?" Peter asked.

"Your mother set him free." Bob muttered angrily. "We all knew the password to free him, though we also all swore that no one would use it. After Nathan was shot in Texas, Angela called a man she had inside the building, a man on her payroll, and had him use the password to open Roger's cell. He escaped, killing another technician in the process and has been making his way here since then."

"To come after YOU." Peter nodded. "Does he know that Mom's still alive?"

Bob pursed his lips angrily. "He doesn't BLAME Angela for locking him away." He sighed. "He's always blamed me, though I don't know why. It doesn't matter, really. What matters is that since his release, he's been traveling through Canada, mainly killing livestock on remote farms for sustenance, occasionally attacking locals. He's been smart though, staying hidden from the public for the most part."

"Is there anything left of him besides a beast?" Mohinder asked, shaking his head sadly. "You have medication now that could inhibit his powers. Perhaps-"

"-In the twelve years that he's been locked away, he hasn't turned back into Roger at all. He's nothing but a monster now, a beast." Bob turned on the lights and gave everyone a stern look. "And he's not going to stop at simply killing me. He'll kill each and every one of you and when he's done, he'll attack the helpless public at large. Now you see why he must be captured and destroyed?"

Miriam nodded, her expression calm. "Yes. It wouldn't be right for a monster like that to live on this earth."

Bob stared at her with surprise. He smiled at her, pleased. "You're right. He was last seen near the Canadian/American border in the wilds of the St. Lawrence Islands National Park. Tomorrow evening, you will be sent into the Adirondacks by helicopter. From there, using Molly Walker's tracking abilities, which I'm sure Miriam at least has picked up, you will search for Roger, corner him and take him out. It'll be a very simple assignment, really."

"If it's that simple, why get so many of us to go?" Nathan asked.

"Because I want to make sure that he doesn't get away. The more people that are searching together for him, the quicker you'll find him before he ends up tearing campers to shreds." Bob clapped his hands together and nodded. "So, you've been given this assignment and you know when you're leaving. I've already bought hiking supplies for the nine of you-"

"-Nine?" Justine frowned. "There are ten of us here."

"Oh, I'm not going." Bob shook his head. "That leaves you, Miriam, Matthew, Sylar, Peter, Nathan, Elle, Mohinder and Noah."

"And Izzie." Justine glared at him. "She's not staying here alone with you."

Bob nodded. "Of course. Isabelle. I forgot about her." He sighed. "I'll have someone buy supplies for her as well."

"Make sure they know to buy her outfits in the following colors: red, yellow, blue, green, pink, purple and white. Izzie dresses in one color per day. She tends to get a bit cranky when she doesn't have something red on Mondays, yellow on Tuesdays, and so on."

"I see." Bob gritted his teeth as Miriam and Justine's eyes bore into his. "I'll be sure to pass that message on."

"So, are we done here?" Sylar asked.

"For now, yes." Bob nodded. He tried to smile as everyone stood up and headed towards the door. "So now it's up to all of you to get some rest and get ready for tomorrow evening!"

Noah glanced over at Matt, Peter, Miriam and Justine. _Pass this on to the others. Meet me on the roof of the Petrelli mansion in Hyde Park at midnight. _Everyone nodded softly as they exited the room, quickly passing the message on to everyone else.

Miriam turned to Matt as they left the room. "Heading home for the night?"

Matt nodded and smiled. "For a while. I need to catch up with Molly. I'm thinking about coming back here to sleep though, if you want me to."

Miriam winked at him. "I'll always want you to, but be warned. If you come back to me tonight, you won't get any sleep."

"I've been living on very little sleep for the past few days thanks to you-"

"-you're welcome-"

"-I think I'll get by on lack of sleep for one more night at the very least."

"Okay." Miriam kissed him. "I'll see you tonight."

Nathan sped up to catch Justine as she headed for the door. "So is what Sylar said true?"

"Yeah." She grimaced. Turning to Nathan, she blinked for a moment. "Wait, which part?"

"All of it?" Nathan grinned at her. "The whole twin connection, being able to feel what the other's experiencing, what you and Miriam have both experience around Matt and Sylar?"

Justine rolled her eyes. "Yeah, it's true. If she gets drunk, I get tipsy, if she shoots her foot off, which she's done by the way, my foot starts throbbing-"

"-and if either of you feel something really great the other one does too, huh?" Nathan's grin widened. "Sounds kind of kinky."

"Kinky? Try twisted as all fuck."

"And you and Sylar-"

"-I had a moment of temporary insanity while I was out on the road with him-"

"-and now that you're back?"

Justine looked over her shoulder to see Sylar hovering in the hallway outside of the door. "Now that I'm back, I'm not going to have any more instances of temporary insanity."

"Too bad for him." Nathan winked at her as she looked away, blushing. "So since you're not going to be going temporarily insane again any time soon, how would you like to have a quiet, SANE dinner with me?"

Justine turned and stared at him. "What was that? What did you just say?"

Nathan shrugged. "I think I just asked you out on a date. Care to go?"

Justine laughed for a moment as Nathan's grin faltered. "You're kidding me, right?"

"No, I'm not." Nathan's grin faded as Justine laughed again. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, it's just-" she shook her head "-I figured after word got out that I slept with Sylar that no sane man that had dealings with him would honestly want anything to do with me."

"Why not?"

"Sleep with dogs, get up with fleas, that sort of thing."

Nathan smiled at her. "Hey, I've been with a few dogs myself in my lifetime. The fleas tend to drop off after a while. So, back to my offer. Dinner?"

Justine cocked her head to the side, grinning as she could hear Sylar begin to breathe hard outside of the room, his heart pounding. She could hear the tendons and ligaments in his hands creak as he balled his hands into fists. "Dinner sounds lovely."

"Great." Nathan stepped past her, his eyes never leaving hers. "So I'll pick you up here at seven?"

Justine nodded. "Seven it is."

Nathan turned and walked out of the conference room, ignoring Sylar as he joined Peter in the hallway and quickly headed for the door. "Big Brother's got a date!"

Peter stared at him. "With JUSTINE?" He turned and watched over his shoulder as Sylar glared at them both, his eyes filled with anger. "Do you think that's smart?"

"Did you SEE her? She's hot!"

"And obviously batshit crazy if she slept with Sylar." Peter turned back to Nathan. "Honestly, why don't you hang steaks off of your clothes and walk into the lion cage at the zoo? It'll probably be safer."

"I don't do safe, you know that." Nathan sighed. "Besides, who cares if she's crazy? The crazy ones are always the best in the sack."

"God, you're seriously twisted." Peter shook his head as they walked to the car. "So THAT'S why you're going out with her? To get laid?"

"Well, she DID sleep with Sylar, so she obviously doesn't have the highest standards." Nathan climbed into the driver's seat as Peter climbed in beside him. "But no, that's not why I asked her out." Nathan stared off into space, smiling. "I liked her smile. There's something about it that just-"

"-What?" Peter frowned.

Nathan shook his head. "Nothing. I liked her smile, that's all. She obviously doesn't smile often either. I'd like to see her smile more." He started the car and began to drive away. "Maybe I can make that happen."

"Yeah, and maybe Sylar will rip your dick off out in the Adirondacks, too." Peter grimaced. "I have a bad feeling about this trip."

"Maybe, but I have a good feeling about Justine."

* * *

As soon as the Petrelli brothers rounded a corner and disappeared from his sight, Sylar turned to glare at Justine as she strolled out of the conference room. "What the fuck was THAT?" He asked.

"What?" She shrugged innocently as she tried to step past him. Her eyes narrowed as Sylar blocked her way.

"You're going out on a date with Nathan Petrelli?"

"Why not?" She smirked at him.

"Because you're with ME!" He glared down at her.

"Correction, I fucked you. We didn't exchange rings, we didn't pledge our troth or get our names tattooed on our asses, we had sex and now it's over. I told you already that it's over."

"And now you want to SHOW me that it's over." Sylar started laughing softly.

Justine glowered at him. "What's so funny?"

"You." He nodded "You're so desperate to get over me, you're trying to move on with Petrelli. Go ahead. He's probably a very nice guy, which translates to bo-ring. Even if he's got a bit of the bad boy in him, he still won't be enough for you and you know why?"

"No, but I'm sure you'll enlighten me." Justine rolled her eyes.

"Because you've had a VERY bad boy in you already!" Justine scoffed as Sylar nodded. "Oh yeah. You might go out with Nathan. Hell, you might even have sex with him and you might enjoy it, but you won't be clutching the sheets, covered in sweat and screaming for more like you were with me. You'll miss me before long. You'll miss the feeling you got when you danced with the devil and when you come crawling back for more, maybe I'll let you have another dance." He leaned close to her, grinning as she backed away pressing against the wall. Sylar leaned in closer, his lips touching her ear, smiling as he heard her heart begin to pound. "Hell, you wanna dance right now and not with that Captain America wannabe. You want me. I got under your skin in California and I'll never get out, will I?" Justine looked away, biting her lip as Sylar pressed himself against her. "I'll always be in there, squirming, taunting, teasing, making your blood boil and your body ache. Nathan's never going to be able to turn you on the way I have, the way I'm doing right now. Have your fun with him. You'll be back."

"I'm done with you." She whispered.

"No you're not." He purred. He chuckled as she squirmed against him, her face redding. Suddenly, he backed away, winking at her before turning to walk away. "But maybe I'm done with YOU!" As Justine stared after him, trying to compose herself, he waved to her over his shoulder. "Have fun on your cutesy little date!"

Justine took a deep breath and swallowed audibly. "Oh fuck me sideways." She groaned as she turned and headed back to her quarters.


	19. Chapter 19: Rooftop Meeting

Chapter Nineteen: Rooftop Meeting

October 7, 2007

Hartsdale, New York

Miriam groaned, waking from her nap as Justine knocked on her door and walked into her room, carrying a blue dress. "What do you want?"

I need your opinion about something." Justine asked. "What do you think?" Miriam looked up to study the dress Justine was holding up.

"It's nice." Miriam shrugged as she stretched out on her bed, her brow furrowed.

"Nice? It's just nice? I have a date with Nathan Petrelli who is very good looking, I can't wear 'nice'."

"Fine, it's hot, it's sexy, he's not going to be able to contain himself when he sees you in it, he'll jump you the moment you step out of the room in the dress and ravage you on the floor in a lusty fashion." Miriam smirked as she turned to Justine. "Better?"

"You're such a smart-ass." Justine stared at the dress she held up again. "I wore it last night when we went out to the bars."

Miriam rolled over to face Justine again. "So, that's the outfit you were wearing when Sylar finally seduced you?" Justine glared at her. "Hey, if we were to shine a blacklight on it, will certain areas light up?"

"I'll find something else." Justine growled as she tossed the dress at Miriam's head.

"That's not the ONLY outfit you bought when we went shopping yesterday, you know. What about that red number?"

"I put it back and you bought if for yourself, remember? Besides, it's a little much for a first date, don't you think?"

"Maybe for YOU." Miriam shrugged. "You're right, that's not a 'Justine's first date' outfit, more like a 'Miriam's first date' outfit, guaranteed to get you laid at the end of the evening."

"Exactly." Justine's eyes narrowed further. "Which is why I'm going to wear it."

"So you can sleep with Nathan-"

"-Right-"

"-and pretend to yourself that sleeping with Sylar meant absolutely nothing whatsoever."

Justine sighed at her sister. "What are you implying?"

"I'm implying that casual sex is not your thing, it's mine and even I'VE given that game up. You've never slept with someone for shits and giggles, you've always cared about them before you let them up your skirt. There's nothing wrong with that, usually, it's just the way you are."

"So you're saying that I slept with Sylar because I cared about him?"

"As much as it pains me to say it, yes." Miriam nodded. "Name ONE guy that you've slept with just on a casual basis." Justine looked away as Miriam smirked. "That's what I thought. You've always had feelings about the men you've bedded. You're not like me, you can't simply sleep with someone because they're there and you think they're hot. You have to feel something for them."

"Maybe I've changed." Justine crossed her arms in front of her chest, staring at her twin. "Hey, you've changed, right? You've gone from being the 'bad girl' in the family to being in a fairly stable, loving, monogamous relationship. Who's to say that maybe I've decided to pick up where you've left off?"

"Fine, it's your turn to be the big bimbo in the family. Have fun." Miriam waved a dismissive arm at her sister. "But don't expect me to believe it. I wish you DIDN'T have feelings for Sylar, but I doubt you slept with him simply because he was there."

"Well, maybe you'll believe it later on tonight when you start feeling my big screaming 'O' that I'll be getting from Nathan a little less than twenty-four hours after I got one from Sylar." Justine quipped as she grabbed her discarded dress and turned to walk out of the room. "Before I go, where IS that hot little red dress?"

Miriam smirked. "It's hanging up in what passes for a closet here." She nodded towards a small metal storage cabinet in the corner. Justine crossed the room and opened it, pulling out a short, low cut red dress. "Have fun tonight."

"I intend to." Justine turned to head for the door again. "So what are your plans until, you know, later?"

"Dunno. I'll probably veg out here." Miriam shrugged. "Matt said something about wanting me to grab dinner with him and Molly, but I think he needs to spend some time with her alone, you know? I mean, he's going to be leaving with the rest of us to go out there and try to grab Roger, and when he gets back, he's got to go back to Seattle and start having his visitations with Matthew, not to mention all of the time he's been spending with me lately. He needs to have some quality time with Molly as well. He's practically her dad, he needs to be there for her."

"That's very unselfish of you." Justine nodded.

"What can I say? I have layers." Miriam shrugged. "Besides, after he tucks her into bed tonight and Maya comes over to watch her, he'll come back here and have some extremely naked quality time with me, so I think I can spare him a few hours to be a dad to his foster daughter."

"And there's my horny sister again." Justine laughed softly.

"Don't you have a naughty date with a former senatorial candidate to get ready for?"

"Yes, I do." Justine turned and opened the door to leave.

"Quick question, if YOU'RE possibly getting it on with Nathan tonight and I'm definitely getting it on with Matt, who is Isabelle staying with?"

Justine rolled her eyes. "She WAS going to stay with me, but she changed her mind and decided she wanted to bunk with Sylar."

Miriam frowned. "Our fifteen year-old sister is going to stay in the same room with her thirty year-old, serial killer brother?" She sighed. "I guess it's no different than when she stayed in the same hotel room with him and you while the three of you were on the run."

"I tried to talk her out of it, but she was pretty insistent." Justine shrugged. "Actually, I think it's for the best. I think with her nearby, Sylar won't be tempted to go back to his killer ways. After she pulled her little stunt with him at the house, he's been acting like a choirboy around her." She smirked. "When he's not dogging me, that is."

Miriam sat up in bed, her brow furrowing. "I've been meaning to ask this since we all got back together, what EXACTLY did she do to Sylar at the house?"

Justine shook her head. "I have no clue. One minute he was in attack mode, all menacing and creepy, the next he was curled up in a ball on the floor, screaming and sobbing and begging her to stop. When I asked her what she did, all she could tell me was that she showed him his worst fears."

"SYLAR is scared of something?" Miriam raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, our sister, apparently."

"Weird." Miriam chewed on her bottom lip, deep in thought. "How strong do you think Isabelle's powers are? What do you think is the extent of them?"

"I don't know." Justine shrugged. "Matt said that he was told once that his father could control any aspect of the mind, right?" Miriam nodded silently. "And Matt and Iz have both inherited their father's power to do that outright." She shook her head again. "So I don't know how powerful Izzie is, but I know it's pretty damn powerful. She stopped a serial killer in seconds, that's more than pretty much anyone else can say."

"Yeah." Miriam lay back down on the bed, concerned. "I guess we need to start trying to play with that power ourselves, just to see what the hell Izzie is capable of."

"Probably." Justine turned to the door. "But I'm not going to worry about it right now. I have a date to get ready for."

"Just remember. The name you're going to need to scream out in bed tonight is 'Nathan', not 'Sylar'." Miriam chuckled as Justine responded with a raised middle finger before she slammed the door in her wake. Stretching back out on her bed, Miriam sighed. "Go ahead and do everything you can to get Sylar out of your system if you can, God knows you'll be better off."

* * *

Amsterdam: Oud-Zuid Borough

He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling as the leggy blond beside him sighed in her sleep and rolled over, draping an arm across his chest. He grimaced, wondering why in the hell he'd brought her back to his tony studio apartment instead of one of the usual hotels he frequented with girls like this, groupies that squealed and cheered for him as he played with his band and climbed all over him backstage while begging him to run his hands over their bodies the way he ran them over his bass guitar. He slid out from under the blond and grabbed his shorts, pulling them on as he walked into the living room area and staring out of the window at the view of the Vondelpark.

He was shorter than most guys at five feet four, with a sleekly muscled body and pale freckled skin. His flame-red hair was spiked and tipped with blue on the ends, a feature that thoroughly annoyed his bosses at his day job working as a computer analyst in the financial district of Amsterdam. He scanned the street and park below for a moment before turning from the window and crossing the room to a refrigerator. He pulled out a beer and closed the door, swigging the beer as he walked over to a couch and sat down. Looking around, he sighed as he finally spotted the remote control on a bar across the room. "Shit." He muttered as he reached out with his arm, smirking as it began to elongate and stretch across the room until it reached the bar. He grabbed the remote as his arm retracted back to its original length.

"That never gets old for you, does it?"

Chris Rogers AKA Roger Christopher Chase V turned and raised an eyebrow at the older brunette that stood behind him. "Well, does your little hocus-pocus act ever get old for you?"

"Not really, it has its uses." Angela crossed over to a chair and sat down across from him, staring at him. "How are you?"

"It's not time for our annual check-in session, is it? I mean, the last time you were here was around May, right?" Kit shrugged as he took a pull off of his beer. "That's when you came by to finally let me know about Aunt Vic's death and how the girls had to go on the run."

"I told you why I had to wait." Angela pressed her lips together.

"Yeah." Kit's blue-green eyes narrowed. "You pulled strings to have my father escape from the cell he was being held in and old Potato-Head Bishop was on the warpath with you, watching your every move. Of course, you could have just stayed in your bed and popped in here, just like I suspect you're doing now."

"He was having me followed since I also helped your cousins escape from him. Whenever I do my 'hocus-pocus' routine, it leaves a psionic signature that he could easily have followed. I had to wait until he decided to lay off of me and use other avenues to search for your cousins."

"Whatever." Kit sighed. "Any word on the girls?"

"They were found a couple of days ago in Seattle. Bob has them now." Angela watched Kit's reaction as he frowned and looked away to cover the worried expression that crossed his face. "Bob's made a deal with them."

"I see." Kit nodded.

Angela sighed. "He's told them that if they can kill Roger, he'll leave them alone." She watched as Kit looked away again, a muscle jumping in his jaw. "Well? Do you have anything to say to that?"

"I say let them have fun if it means they'll finally get out from under Bob's clutches. It's not like they remember Roger, or Mom or even me, right? Let them kill him for all I fucking care."

"Kit, he's your father-"

"-And he killed my mother." Kit hissed, his eyes blazing as he spun around on Angela. His voice was even and soft, but edge with steel as he continued to speak. "He fucked around with his genes, went all Jekyll on Mom and Delta and ripped them both to shreds. Then, to add insult to injury, Bob came after me and 

forced you and Arthur to hide me out here. I got pulled away from my home and lost everything. I lost my mother when Roger killed her, I lost my cousins and my aunt when I needed them the most because Bob had their minds erased of any trace of us, I even lost my fucking name because you and Arthur made me change it to keep me safe."

"Would you have rather been locked away with your father?" Angela asked him. "Would you have rather been trapped in a cell in the arctic north?"

"I hadn't even manifested yet and that dickhead wanted to lock me up, regardless." Kit swigged his beer and stared off into the distance. "I lost everything because of my father and here you are asking me if I give two shits if my cousins kill him? Hell, I just wish they could kill him more than once." He turned to Angela, tears brimming in his eyes. "Do they even remember me yet? Do they even have a fucking clue that they had a cousin once that was like a brother to them?" Angela stared at the floor as Kit sighed and looked away, blinking back tears. "No, of course not. What happened to that power you said Mir and Juss inherited from their father? You said once that they could end up remembering me again because of it."

"They haven't been given a chance to have their memories jogged, that's all." Angela stood and walked over to him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I promise I'll try and jog it."

"Don't bother." Kit shrugged her hand off and scooted away from her. "What'll happen if they do suddenly remember good old Kit, right? I mean, what can they do about it? Bob still wants my ass on a silver platter and if he ever does find me and finds out that I have a power now too, it'll give him even more of a reason to lock me up, so it's not like we can have some big tearful reunion and all live happily ever after, right?" He pulled his shoulders back and stood up. "Hell, I could have it worse. I have a good life here and a good apartment, thanks to you. I have a great job in the financial district here and I have fun playing with my band while getting more ass than a toilet seat thanks to all of my groupies. I live in a town with legal hookers and sex shows and all the pot I can smoke. I'm living the dream, right?"

"Kit-" Angela sighed as Kit shook his head.

"-Don't remind them of me. Don't tell them about me. Let them kill Roger. Let them get their freedom. Let them have their lives back, what's left of them now that Aunt Vic's dead. I'll be fine here alone." Kit set his empty beer bottle down and headed towards the bedroom. "I've got a blond in my bed that I think I'm going to have a bit more fun with before I toss her out with some cab fare. See you later."

Angela watched sadly as Kit walked back into his bedroom. "Oh Kit." She murmured before she disappeared from the room.

The blond woke up as Kit pulled off his boxers and climbed back into bed. "Who were you talking to?" She murmured in English, her Belgian accent thick.

"No one. Just the phone." Kit frowned as he stretched out in bed. The blond snuggled beside him, her hand sliding under the covers. He closed his eyes, sighing with pleasure as she caressed him. "God, that feels good."

"You were so hot onstage tonight with your guitar." She purred. "Will you do that little trick again, where you pretend to be strumming your guitar when you're really-" she began to whisper in his ear as he grinned.

"You are a very naughty girl." Kit rolled over on top of her as she grasped his hips. "I like naughty girls."

An hour later, she was gone, shown the door with a wad of bills in her hand for the taxi. Kit lay in bed, staring at the ceiling as he smoked a joint, his eyes glazed over in satisfaction. He blinked back tears as he remembered Angela's words to him earlier that evening. Slowly, he climbed out of bed and opened his closet door, digging through the back of the closet until he found a box. He pulled a photo album out of the box and carried it back to his bed, climbing under the covers as he began to flip through it, his eyes filling with tears as he found pictures of his family. His parents, the bubbly and kind blond mother and the jovial red-haired father, posing together in happier times and his aunt and cousins, smiling at the cameras. He found one picture that had been taken the Christmas after he'd turned sixteen. He'd been given a jeep for Christmas and had jumped into it with his two younger cousins in tow, driving around like maniacs all over the town until they finally returned. His father had been waiting outside for most of that cold morning for them to return to finally take a picture of him behind the wheel. Kit was grinning from the driver's seat with Miriam and Justine hugging him from the passenger's seat and the backseat. He smiled as he studied the picture, remembering how close he'd been with his cousins. Finally, he shook his head and closed the book. "Stop torturing yourself, Kit." He muttered to himself as he lay back and tried to doze off. "Those girls wouldn't know you if you walked up to them on the street and said 'boo!' to them, thanks to that prick Bob."

* * *

Hartsdale, New York

As Justine headed out of her room, dressed for her date, she gasped as she bumped in to Sylar. "What do you want?" She muttered as she backed away from him.

Sylar smirked as he noticed the red dress she was wearing. "Not much, just thought I'd come by and be the bigger man." He chuckled. "Though something already tells me I AM the bigger man if you know what I mean." He grinned as Justine rolled her eyes. "Oh there I go, NOT being a bigger man, I guess I don't have it in me. Here I was coming here to wish you luck on your date with Nathan and instead I'm being an ass."

"Well, you have to be you, I guess."

"Yeah, I guess so." Sylar stepped back and held his arms out. "Please, go on. Have a very good time on your date with Nathan."

Justine's eyes narrowed as she stepped past him. "I intend to."

"Right, you have all the fun you want." Sylar watched Justine as she walked past him and began to walk down the hall. "I'll stay here and think about the conversation you just had with your sister." He grinned as Justine froze in her tracks. "So is it true that you only do the dirty-dirty with guys you have feelings for?" His grin widened as Justine refused to speak, her neck turning red. "Yeah, I heard all of that. Apparently, you don't let a man between those lovely thighs unless you care about him, and here I was thinking that last night was nothing but hot, sweaty, steamy sex. I didn't know there were FEELINGS behind it, too."

Justine turned to him, glaring. "The only feeling I have for you is annoyance."

"You just keep telling yourself that, Sweetheart." Justine shook her head and started to walk away, exasperated. "By the way, Miriam was right, that dress is NOT a first-date dress for a girl like you!" He laughed as she flipped him off while she walked down the hall. "Not right now, since you're going off for a date with Captain America, but I'll be sure to be on the lookout for you later! I have a feeling that dress is going to be wadded up on the floor of my room by morning, if not sooner, just like that dress you were wearing last night!" He called to her. "That dress by the way? THAT one suited you! It looked almost as good on you as it did off!" He laughed harder as Justine stomped down the hall away from him, her hands balled into fists. As he turned to walk away, he grimaced as he spotted Isabelle. She stood in the doorway to Justine's room, staring at him reproachfully. Sylar sighed. "What?" Isabelle shook her head as Sylar shrugged. "Well, what do you expect me to do, huh? One night we're together and the next day she accepts a date with someone else. I know I don't ACT like I'm worried that they're going to hit it off and she'll stop dancing around me playing 'will she or won't she' but I AM worried." Isabelle continued to stare at him as Sylar ran his fingers through his hair. "I know that baiting her wasn't the smartest move, but what else can I do, throw myself at her feet and beg her not to go out with him? I'm not doing that." As Isabelle's dark brown eyes bored into his, he finally shook his head. "Can you quit staring at me like I killed your puppy long enough to grab some dinner with me?" She nodded slowly and held out her hand. "Fine, let's do that. I suppose you want me to invite Bitchy 2.0 with us to, right?" She looked up at him, pressing her lips together disapprovingly. "Fine, you want me to get Miriam to eat with us too?" She nodded as he began to lead her towards Miriam's room.

Miriam tossed and turned on her bed as she slept, the lost memories that Isabelle had dredged up coming to the surface more and more, even in her dreams.

They were coming to her in a jumble, images and impressions and snippets of part of her life that had been erased. She remembered a time when she was sixteen, right before her seventeenth birthday and her Aunt Evelyn had come to stay with Kit. She remembered how her aunt had shuffled around with Kit's help, a thick, heavy bandage covering her right thigh. Miriam remembered slipping into the hall late at night to listen as her mother and Evelyn had talked and whispered in the guest room.

"I don't know what to do, Vicki. I keep calling him and telling him that it's okay, he couldn't help it, but he just beats himself up about it. He's been locking himself in that silly lab of his ever since this happened, trying to find a way to rid him of that power. He keeps calling it a curse."

"I know. I've been talking to him too. He said he doesn't want you or Kit to come home until he finds a way to cure himself."

"It was Bob's fault. He's been looking for a way to get back at Bob for what happened to Isabelle and just before he changed, he got a phone call. I think it was Bob. It set him off. I tried to calm Rog down instead of just going straight to the safe room. Vicki, you should have seen him change. It was the most fascinating and horrific thing I've ever seen. I keep begging him to just stop this, but he won't listen to me. He's been trying to alter his genes for years now and I don't think its helping. If anything, he's just getting worse. He almost got into the room before he changed back. He shredded part of the door, Vicki."

"Oh my God." Victoria's voice sounded worried. "Do you think Roger had something to do with Janelle's disappearance?"

"I don't know. I know Janelle called our house a few months ago and when Roger took the phone, he went down into the basement to talk to her in private. A few days later, Bob called the house all upset because Janelle took off and left him and Elle all alone."

"Do you think Janelle's really gone on her own?" Victoria's voice was hesitant as she paused. "I mean, do you think BOB could have, hang on, hold that thought-" Miriam backed away from the door as she heard her mother's footsteps approaching and quickly ran back to her room, closing the door behind her.

Miriam frowned in her sleep, another memory quickly flooding back to her. It was a year later, a month before her eighteenth birthday. She'd awakened to find a dark-skinned man standing over her. As she opened her mouth to scream, he quickly pressed his hand against her mouth, leaning down to press his lips against her ear. As he whispered, she cut her eyes over to Justine, noticing how deeply her sister was sleeping as the man's voice filled her ear.

"Sleep, Child. Forget everything for now." Miriam's eyes cut back to him and noticed how he stared at her. She tried to bring forth a power, any power as he shook his head softly and she finally recognized him from the day Isabelle had been injured at Primatech. "The only reason I do this is to keep you and your family safe. A tragedy has occurred, a tragedy that could cause serious repercussions if you and your sisters and mother were allowed to remember them. I have been told though, by someone who I trust implicitly that one day, you'll remember all of this, all of what I am about to erase. I hope you forgive me for what I am to do, but if I don't do this, I could be in the same danger that your family will be in if you remember what happens. Your uncle has done something terrible. Your aunt is dead." Miriam's eyes widened, filling with tears as he stared at her sadly. "Bob Bishop has ordered me to erase your memories of you uncle and his family so that he can keep him locked away without you or your family trying to rescue him, but that person that I trust tells me that you and your twin have the power to remember him again one day. The person I trust is Angela Petrelli, your godmother. She wants me to give you a message for when you remember one day. She says that Kit is hidden, he is safe. She and Mr. Petrelli will keep him safe until you and your twin remember him and his family and finally decide to bring him home and fight Mr. Bishop. She says that it will be up to you and your sisters one day to free your uncle and bring the company back to harmony. Until then, Mr. Bishop will be in charge, running things to suit his own needs. You have to stop him once you finally remember. You have to bring Kit home." As Miriam tried to analyze everything he'd just told her, his hand came down on her forehead, turning everything gray.

"Miriam!" Miriam woke up, her mind reeling as she realized that Sylar was knocking on her door. She climbed out of bed and stumbled towards the door, opening it and giving Sylar a withering glare.

"What do you want?"

Sylar stepped back for a moment, stunned at the furious expression on her face. He glanced down at Isabelle as she stared up at her sister, frowning. "I was going to grab some dinner with Isabelle and she wanted you to come with us."

The moment Miriam spotted Isabelle, she relaxed and smiled softly. She nodded, running her fingers through her hair. "Sure, yeah." She noticed Elle walking past Sylar in the hallway and called out to her. "Elle!" As Elle turned around, Miriam grinned at her. "Wanna grab dinner with us?"

Elle nodded as Sylar sighed. "Sure, I could eat. Give me five to change." She turned and sprinted towards her room as Sylar turned back to Miriam.

"WHY?" He asked.

"Because I want her to." Miriam glared at him. _It'll be easier for all of us to sneak over to the meeting place at midnight if we're all already out of the building, you ass! _"She's better company than you are."

Sylar smirked and nodded. "Fine, but I'm not paying for everyone's dinner."

"Like YOU had money in the first place." Miriam winked at Isabelle. "Give me a few minutes to change." She closed the door and went to the cabinet, pulling out a sweater and a pair of jeans. As she changed clothes, she thought back to the memories that had been returning since Isabelle had prodded her. She shook her head, remembering Bob's words about her Uncle Roger, and how he'd allegedly altered his genetics to take away his power, instead making himself stronger. "God, what he must have been going through." She sighed as she stepped out of her room, joining Isabelle, Sylar and Elle in the hallway. "Let's go grab dinner." As they began to walk down the hall, Isabelle stopped short and turned, staring at a door marked Authorized Personnel Only. Miriam turned to Isabelle, noticing the intense way she stared at the door, her eyes widening. "Iz?"

"In there." Isabelle whispered.

"What's in there?" Miriam turned to Elle. "What's behind that door?"

"Father." Isabelle whispered.

"What?" Miriam raised an eyebrow.

Elle nodded. "Behind that door are offices, mainly Dad's, Noah's and mine, and the secure medical wing. You were in there after we first brought you here, remember?"

"I remember." Miriam frowned. "Maury's in there?"

"Yeah." Elle shrugged. "He's in a locked room there, in a coma. He's been in a coma since March. Matt told you what happened, I'm sure."

"He did." Miriam nodded slowly. "Maury tried to attack your father and Matt was here. He stopped Maury when he trapped him in a nightmare."

"He's been trapped in that nightmare ever since." Elle turned to Isabelle. "How did you know he was here?"

"He wants out." Isabelle whispered. "He wants out of the nightmare. He's trapped. He's scared."

Miriam touched Isabelle's shoulder gently. "Is he talking to you? Are you talking to each other with your minds?"

"No." Isabelle shook her head softly. "He's crying out. He's begging for someone to help him. He's scared and he wants out."

"He should stay trapped in there." Sylar grumbled as he glared at the door. "I wish I could get in there."

"And what would you do if you DID get in there?" Miriam asked him, annoyed.

"Make him pay for what he did to my mother." Sylar looked away. "He tricked her-"

"-into getting pregnant with you." Miriam said pointedly. "Are you saying you wish you were never born?"

"I'm saying I wish he had never laid eyes on my mother." Sylar snarled. "He used his powers to coerce her into sleeping with him. That's practically rape."

Miriam nodded, her eyes softening for a moment as anger and hurt flashed in Sylar's eyes. "I understand." She whispered.

"You do?" Sylar glared at her. "What the hell do YOU know about it? You don't have to live with the knowledge that your mother was mentally forced into sleeping with some ass and you were the result."

"No?" Miriam crossed her arms in front of her chest. "My mother was very honest with me and Juss about how we were conceived. Adam was after her for months and she never gave in to him until he showed up at her apartment one night with a bottle of wine. She felt compelled to let him in and after a few glasses of wine, she felt compelled to finally sleep with him. Maury later admitted to her that Adam had threatened him and made him stand outside of her apartment that night, giving her a little push to give Adam what he wanted."

Sylar cocked his head to the side, nodding. "Wow, so I guess you DO know how it feels then."

"Yeah, I guess I do." Miriam nodded. "Mom always told us that she regretted the circumstances of our conception, but in the end, she was glad it happened because she got us. What do you think your mother would have said if she'd known the truth?"

Sylar smirked. "Well, seeing as how I ended up causing her death, I don't think she'd be as pleased with the end result of her seduction as your mother was." He turned back to the door. "So he's in a room down the hall, begging for someone to free him from a nightmare and praying someone's hearing him."

"Someone is." Miriam studied Isabelle. "His daughter is hearing him."

"He can't get out." Isabelle frowned. "Not ever. No one should free him. He's a bad man." She looked up at Sylar. "Worse than you."

"Seriously?" Sylar's eyes widened as Isabelle nodded. "That's pretty bad."

"Very bad man." Isabelle said gravely. "He's done very bad things." She turned and began to quickly walk away from the door with Miriam, Sylar and Elle following her. "No one let him out!"

"Trust me, none of us know how to do it anyway." Miriam nodded.

* * *

Manhattan, New York

"So tell me, what made you want to be a police officer?" Nathan asked as he folded his napkin in his lap.

Justine shrugged as she sipped her wine. "I guess you could say that I wanted to atone."

"Atone for what?" Nathan smiled at her.

"For killing one man and nearly killing Bob." As Nathan's smile faltered, Justine raised an eyebrow, nodding. "I'm sure you've heard from Noah about the events surrounding Isabelle's autism and how Miriam attacked Bob." Nathan slowly nodded. "Miriam didn't attack Bob, I did. She was more in control of her powers than I was," Justine smiled softly "she still is, actually. By the time I was sixteen, I knew how to control the powers for the most part, but when I got emotional, all hell tended to break loose. Miriam wasn't like that. You could put her in the middle of a warzone and she'd be a cool as a cucumber, never losing control. When Isabelle was injected with that drug that made her autistic, when BOB injected her, she had a seizure. Her mental power went haywire and Miriam and I felt the effects of it. We realized she was in danger, so we bolted from the rooms that Noah and Claude were testing us in and ran to the room Isabelle was being tested in. Miriam was fine and in control. She was upset over Isabelle, but she was in control. I, on the other hand?" Justine frowned. "The moment I ran into the room, a technician tried to stop us. He had a gun in his holster. Without barely thinking, I forced him to pull the gun from his holster and blow his brains out. Then, the moment I saw Iz and realized that she was hurt, I wanted Bob to suffer. Miriam was yelling at him, but other than that, she was good. She had control of her powers. The only thing she cared about was helping Izzie, but all I cared about was wanting to see Bob hurt as much as our baby sister was hurting as she lay on that exam table, so I mentally pushed him to grab a scalpel and carve most of his face off. I would have killed him if The Haitian hadn't come in when he did to stop me. Everyone thought Miriam did it, because she was the more aggressive of the two of us, but I was the one who lost control. I tried to talk Miriam into letting me come forward, but she wouldn't let me. She said that no one would believe that I had done it. Apparently everyone thought I was the 'good one' and that I would never hurt a living soul. For the most part, everyone was right. I never would have even considered hurting Bob or anyone else if he hadn't hurt Isabelle first."

"Wow." Nathan whispered. "I have to say though, I don't blame you. If someone had done to Peter what Bob did to Isabelle, I would have killed them without any problem." He studied Justine, smiling gently at her. "And now that you've done those terrible things and let your sister take the blame, you think you have to be extra good and law-abiding."

"Yeah." Justine nodded. She shook her head, trying to smile. "Besides, I'm a damn good detective. Thanks to Isabelle's power, I'm actually one of the best detectives in my department. I can read someone's mind and I can tell if they're being honest or trying to blow smoke up my ass. I can also convince them to come clean once I discover that they're guilty as hell." She sighed. "I know it's cheating sort of, but-"

"-how is it cheating? You're just using your talents, just like people who are athletically inclined use their talents for sports."

"But they're NATURALLY inclined, I gained these powers-"

"-through your natural ability." Nathan nodded.

"I guess." Justine shrugged. "I do feel like I'm cheating sometimes."

"Well, don't. You're not cheating, you're just using your gifts for good." Nathan grinned. "I'm naturally sneaky, so I became a lawyer, it's the same thing, really." His grin widened as Justine laughed. "And then I ran for Congress!"

"Where sneakiness is always appreciated!" Justine giggled.

"Exactly!" Nathan sighed happily as their meals were brought to them. "So, what's the deal with you and Sylar again?"

Justine frowned. "I had a momentary lapse in judgment with him and I slept with him. That's all there is to say about that."

"But it's probably going to be tense being around him, you know, having Isabelle as your sister and all."

"I guess." Justine nodded. "I don't know why I slept with him, honestly. Maybe I'm actually tired of being the good girl in the family. He says it's because I have a dark side that wants to be with him, but I don't believe that."

"No?" Nathan asked her.

"No." Justine shook her head. "I was weak, I was drawn to him during a very stressful time and I used him to blow off steam. That's all. It's not happening again."

"Good." Nathan studied her. "I'd hate to think that I ended up being passed over for him."

"I don't think that's going to happen." Justine smiled softly at him before looking away, blushing.

Nathan's eyes sparkled as he noticed the way her cheeks reddened. "What do you think Noah's going to want to tell all of us tonight?"

"He's going to tell the rest of you that Roger is my uncle, mine and Miriam's and Isabelle's." As Nathan stared at her, stunned, Justine continued. "And he's also a cousin of yours, your first cousin once removed, actually."

"What?" Nathan frowned.

"Your father and Roger were cousins." Justine nodded. "Noah will explain everything tonight, but yeah, you're related to Roger too."

Nathan stared at Justine. "So if you're related to Roger and I'M related to Roger-"

"-WE'RE not related." Justine laughed softly. "Roger was Mom's half-brother. They had the same mother and different fathers. Roger's father and your father's mother were brother and sister."

"Oh, thank God!" Nathan chuckled. "Suddenly, I was thinking that I was going to have to take up the banjo."

"No more than Matt will." Justine grinned at him.

* * *

Central Park, New York

Sylar belched as they walked through the park. "Damn, now THAT was some good food."

"How in the hell are you so skinny?" Elle gaped at him. "You ate more than the three of us put together."

"Great metabolism, I guess." Sylar checked his watch. "It's only nine o'clock!" He groaned. "What in the hell are we going to do for the next three hours?"

"Listen to you bitch, apparently." Miriam muttered.

"I just wish we could get this over with already!" Sylar sighed. "I mean, what's with all the cloak and dagger shit, anyway? Why can't we just go ahead, get dropped off in the mountains, find that freak, kill him and get our money?" He noticed the way the three women with him glared at him. "What?"

"Nothing." Miriam turned to walk away.

"What the hell did I do NOW?" Sylar called out as Elle and Isabelle began to follow her. "I see where Justine gets her bullshit from now, obviously it's genetic."

Miriam turned back to Sylar angrily. "You just don't get it!"

"Get WHAT?"

"We're not going to KILL Roger, you dumbass! He's my uncle!"

Sylar stopped, stunned. "So that man-beast that's running amok out there is your uncle?" He started laughing.

"What's so funny NOW?" Miriam asked him angrily.

"I can see a family resemblance, that's all."

"Fuck off." Miriam rolled her eyes as she scanned the park. "What are we going to do for the next three hours, guys?"

"Go to a movie?" Elle shrugged. "You could make us invisible and phase us in. We wouldn't even have to pay."

"Sounds good to me." Sylar nodded.

"Fine." Miriam nodded towards an exit in the park. "Let's go find a theater. It'll help us waste a couple of hours before we have to head over to Noah's."

* * *

Hyde Park, New York

Peter looked up from his book as Angela strolled through the living room. "How was your nap?" He asked her.

"Restful." Angela nodded as she leaned down and pecked her son on the cheek. "What are your plans for this evening?"

Peter shrugged and returned his attention to the book. "Probably turn in early."

"Where's Nathan?" Angela looked around. "I thought he was here earlier."

"He was." Peter glanced up at her. "He had a date."

"A date?"

"Yeah, it's where a guy goes out and takes a girl to dinner, dancing, movies, that sort of thing."

"I know what a date is you little smart-ass, I was just surprised." Angela sat down in a chair opposite Peter, studying him. "I didn't realize that Nathan was dating again. It's so soon after Heidi."

"It's been almost a year, Mom."

"I suppose." Angela pretended to study her nails her eyes lowered as she watched Peter through her eyelashes. "So who's the lucky girl?"

"You don't know her." Peter muttered.

"I see." Angela shrugged. "Well, I'm going to turn in early as well. It's been a long day."

"I thought you just took a nap."

"I did." Angela stood and walked past him. "But I know when I'm not wanted."

"I hope you powdered before you put that hair shirt on, otherwise it's going to itch and chafe." Peter quipped.

"As I told your niece once, you get that smart mouth from me." Angela smiled at her son as she left the room. Outside of the door, she heard Peter's cell phone ring and stopped, hovering unseen as she listening.

"Hello?" Peter grinned. "How's the hot date with Justine going?" Angela frowned as she listened, shaking her head. "Yeah, Mom was just in here, but she's going back to bed. I think something's wrong, Nate. She took a nap earlier today and now she's acting tired again." Peter sighed. "I don't know, I'm not a doctor and you know she won't see one unless we drag her kicking and screaming to one. Anyway, why are you calling me, did Juss dump you for a little after-date delight with Sylar already? No, I won't forget, God! I'm not twelve Nate! The rooftop of Noah's at midnight, I know." Peter shrugged. "I don't know how we're going to explain it to Mom, I guess we'll tell her that we're going to go camping or something, anything's better than telling her that we're going off to hunt Roger. What are you talking about? Fine, tell me later, I've got to go." Angela quickly walked down the hall as Peter hung up his phone and made her way to her bedroom. She shook her head as she closed the door behind her.

"So they're having a little meeting on Noah's roof at midnight." She mused. "And Nathan's dating Justine Pratt. When will those two ever learn that I know EVERYTHING that they do?" She kicked off her shoes and climbed into bed. She sat up and closed her eyes, breathing deeply as she began to concentrate.

* * *

Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan

Noah paced the roof of his apartment building, checking his watch. "Okay, where in the hell is everyone? It's almost midnight."

"Don't have a stroke, sheesh! It's not midnight YET!" Noah turned to see Miriam's head pop up over the side of the building as she climbed up the fire escape. She climbed over the ledge and helped Isabelle and Elle up before Sylar followed them. She turned back to Noah. "It's not like we're all going to turn into pumpkins when the clock strikes twelve."

"I know." Noah shrugged. "I simply like punctuality, that's all."

"Is this punctual enough for you?" Matt asked as he and Mohinder arrived, entering through a door that led to the stairwell and the apartments below. He turned and spotted Miriam and quickly walked over to her, kissing her softly. "How was your day?"

"Better now that you're here." Miriam said softly as she wrapped an arm around Matt's waist. "So most of the gang's here, all that's missing are-"

"-We're here!" Justine quickly appeared as she landed on the roof with Nathan beside her. Sylar's eyes narrowed as he noticed the way Nathan reached for Justine's hand as they approached the group.

"So now we're just missing Peter." Noah nodded.

"Figures." Nathan rolled his eyes. "I told him to be here by twelve."

"And I am here!" Peter arrived on the roof in a flash. He grinned. "I teleported."

"So now that everyone's here, I suppose it's time for us to go over our plan." Noah clapped his hands together, grinning. "First of all-"

"-First of all, you're all busted." Everyone turned as Angela strolled towards them, her eyes glittering in the darkness, a wicked smile playing on her lips. She shook her head as everyone watched her. "Did you honestly think you could plot against Bob and NOT include me? I have to say, I'm a little hurt."

"Mom?" Peter stared at her. "How did you get here?"

Angela winked at him. "You're not the only one with a trick or two up your sleeve." She turned to Noah. "Continue, please. Let's all discuss the plot to get Roger back and put him where he belongs, at the helm of The Company."


	20. Chapter 20: The Awakening

Chapter Twenty: The Awakening

October 8, 2007

Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan

Peter continued to stare in shock at his mother. "I don't understand how you got here so quickly. When I left just a moment ago you were in bed asleep. I saw you-"

"-Will you please stop badgering me and listen to Noah, Dear?" Angela asked, nonplussed.

"I'll be damned." Miriam grinned. "THAT'S who you got that power from!"

"What power?" Peter asked.

"When I touched you earlier-"

"-you mean when you beat the hell out of me and ripped my heart out?" Peter smirked.

Angela turned to Miriam, her lips pressing together in a thin line. "Miriam Victoria Pratt, you SWORE to me-"

"-Drop it, Angie. I didn't kill him permanently. His heart grew back." She turned back to Peter. "I got a huge infusion of powers when I touched you. Most of them were powers that I had already. I guess we've run into a lot of the same people." She shrugged. "Anyway, two powers that I grabbed that I didn't already have were teleportation and astral projection." She turned to Angela, smirking. "I've met Hiro Nakamura, so I know where the teleportation came from. Now I know where he got astral projection. I guess all that trouble you used to take to keep me and Justine from touching you is shot to hell now, huh?"

"Astral projection?" Peter stared at Angela. "So you're here AND at home too."

Angela sighed, annoyed. "Can we PLEASE discuss Roger now?" As everyone continued to stare at her, she rolled her eyes. "Fine, I can astral project. Back to the subject of Roger, what's the plan, Noah?"

Noah studied her for a moment, then nodded. "Let's begin at the beginning. Everyone was in the room when Bob discussed Roger's history. We know what his power is and how he tried to rid himself of it. It backfired, obviously. What you don't know is that I met him a couple of times." Noah stared at his feet for a moment. "He was a very nice man. I was told that he was one of the main shareholders of Primatech. He was kind and intelligent. He obviously didn't deserve what happened to him."

"You could say that his wife didn't deserve what happened to HER either." Sylar added.

"He didn't MEAN to kill her!" Miriam turned on Sylar. "Uncle Roger loved Aunt Evvie! He'd have rather DIED than harm her."

"So you finally remember." Angela smiled at Miriam. "It's about damn time."

"Yes, I finally remembered." Miriam turned to Angela. "And I also remember The Haitian telling me that you were hiding Kit right before he wiped my memory."

"Who's Kit?" Peter asked.

"Roger Chase is your UNCLE?" Mohinder gaped.

"ENOUGH!" Everyone turned to see Angela glaring at them with her hands on her hips. "If all of you would stop adding to this and just LET Noah SPEAK, all of your questions will be answered!"

"Where in the hell is my cousin!" Miriam asked her.

"I'll tell you later, let Noah talk now." Angela growled. Miriam turned away, her eyes narrowing as Noah continued to talk.

"Anyway, as I said, I knew Roger and he was a good man. I didn't realize that he was related to Miriam and Justine at the time, but it makes sense when you consider how he and Linderman fought to make sure they weren't locked away for what happened to Bob. Twelve years ago, I was stunned to hear that Roger and his wife had been killed. It wasn't until recently that Bob told me about Roger's true fate and I came up with a plan to finally bring Bob down for once and for all."

"So what's the plan?" Justine asked.

"I want us to go into the forests to get Roger, but I don't want you to kill him. I think you and Miriam can keep him subdued while Isabelle and Matt work on his mental state and remind him of who he once was. Once we can get him back as a human, we can convince him to start taking the medications to suppress his power and get him to overthrow Bob."

"And if they can't subdue him?" Nathan asked.

Noah looked at Nathan, amused. "Obviously you have no idea just HOW many powers these twins have in their arsenal. Now that Peter's been around them, he probably has them as well."

"I think I had most of them already, actually." Peter shrugged.

"Probably so." Noah nodded. "Between the twins, Peter and Sylar, I think we'll be able to keep Roger under control and try to get him to revert back to his human state."

"And if we can't get him back to being human?" Nathan asked.

Noah frowned. "I hope it doesn't come to that."

"So who is Kit and how are the twins related to Roger?" Mohinder asked.

"I'll take this one." Miriam turned to Mohinder. "Roger and my mother were brother and sister. Apparently, Grandma got around a bit." She smiled and shook her head. "I'm just now remembering something. I think Mom joked once with Uncle Roger about Grandma Pratt having a power as well, probably seduction. It explains how a poor Irish girl from the wrong side of the tracks got two wealthy young men to marry her. The first husband, Roger's father, was killed in World War II. Then she married my grandfather and had Mom."

"The two of you and Isabelle aren't the only people here related to Roger." Angela smiled at Nathan and Peter. Roger's aunt Natalie was your grandmother. You were named after her, Nathan."

"So Roger's our cousin?" Peter asked.

"Yes. He and your father were first cousins." Angela nodded. "You met him and his family quite a bit growing up. You and Kit were close in age and you got along famously."

"I don't remember." Peter whispered.

"Me neither." Nathan sighed.

"Your memories were probably erased like ours." Miriam nodded. She turned to Angela. "Why is it YOU remember him?"

Angela frowned. "After Roger accidentally killed Evelyn and Delta, Bob decided that the only way to lock Roger away and KEEP him locked away was to erase the memories of his surviving family members. He sent someone who owed me a great deal-"

"-The Haitian." Miriam added.

"Yes, The Haitian." Angela smiled. "You're remembering quite a bit, aren't you? How did it finally happen?"

"Isabelle dug through our memories. She's able to read people's minds and dig things out, even things that The Haitian tried to remove. That, combined with Adam's healing abilities helped me and Justine remember." Miriam raised an eyebrow. "I remember now that when The Haitian came into our room, apparently after he'd finished erasing Justine's memory, I woke up when he came to my bed. He told me that you had hidden Kit before he did what he'd been ordered to do by Bob."

"After Evelyn's death, Bob sent The Haitian along with a team of cleaners to the house. While he erased everyone's memories, they went through your photo albums and family documents, removing any trace of Roger and his family." Angela lowered her head sadly. "The Haitian came to me first to tell me what Bob had planned. Arthur and I decided to let him remove your memories as well as Peter and Nathan's. While that happened, I called Bob and let him know that I knew what he was up to and that his tricks weren't going to work on me. Arthur and I agreed to allow Nathan and Peter's memories of Roger and his family to be erased and not to stand in his way with locking Roger away if he promised to leave Kit alone and let us take care of him. We both knew though that Bob wouldn't live up to his end of the bargain, so we let him think that we were sending Kit to a university in California. Once he arrived in California, Kaito Nakamura and Charles Deveaux helped us move Kit to a secure location. From there, we sent him to a university in Amsterdam under an assumed name. He's been in Amsterdam since then."

"You allowed Bob to erase our memories, lock our uncle away and you hid our cousin from us?" Justine asked, angry tears brimming in her eyes. "What in the hell gave you the right to do that?"

Angela turned to Justine, her lips pressed into a tight line as she regarded the young woman haughtily. "I am your godmother. I promised your mother before the two of you were even born that I would protect you both from harm and I promised the same thing again after Isabelle was born. By allowing your memories to be erased, I protected you from being locked away with your uncle. Bob knew that the moment Victoria found out about her brother's incarceration, she'd move heaven and earth to have him released. I allowed him to be locked away because he was a danger to himself and others. He killed his own wife and one of his best friends." She sighed. "All of us decided it, actually. All of the surviving members of The Twelve with the exception of Victoria agreed unanimously that Roger needed to be locked away to protect us all from him in his current state. After Evelyn's death, Roger reverted back to his human form briefly. When he realized what he'd done, even HE begged us to lock him away. He was terrified of harming the rest of 

us. He was promised by Bob, ALL of us were promised, that Bob would fund research to curb Roger's power and that as soon as a solution was found, Roger would be released, but once he came up with the medication that WOULD hinder powers-"

"The 'Haitian pills'." Peter whispered.

"Yes." Angela nodded. "Once Bob's researchers developed the pills, we all implored him to give the pills to Roger, but he refused. He claimed that Roger had become a beast permanently and that the pills wouldn't help him. He was full of shit. I knew it as did Kaito, Arthur, Daniel and the rest of us. Bob knew that we knew, too, but he was the head of our company. I decided to bide my time and wait for the right opportunity. I coached a special young man that I had taken under my wing to say just the right things to allow him to be hired as a guard at the prison your uncle was housed in. Then, opportunity knocked. I was furious with Bob for having Nathan shot, so I put in a phone call to that young guard. He released Roger and the rest is history."

"How did you know that Bob would want US to go and find him?" Miriam asked. "He had to have known there was a possibility that we'd end up remembering Uncle Roger."

"The two of you are extremely powerful. I knew that Bob wouldn't want to risk letting Roger get to him and I knew that he'd rather risk the two of you remembering Roger than having Roger kill him. Besides, Bob's a twisted little man. I think he's getting a sick thrill out of the idea of the two of you killing your uncle, seeing as how Roger was practically a father to the two of you growing up."

"Uncle Roger and Uncle Daniel were the closest things we had to fathers, actually." Miriam blinked back tears. "I can't believe we've forgotten him."

"It wasn't your fault." Angela consoled her.

"No." Miriam looked up at Angela, her face contorting with fury. "It's BOB'S fault!" She began to walk away from the group with Matt, Justine and Angela following her.

"Where are you going?" Matt asked as he caught up to her.

"I'm going to fly to Primatech to kill that son of a bitch!" She shrieked. She tried to shrug off Matt's arm. "Hell, thanks to my little temper tantrum with Peter earlier, I can teleport now. I'll use that instead!"

"Will you wait just a damn minute?" Angela grabbed Miriam's other arm, spinning her around to face her. "You most certainly will NOT just pop in and kill Bob, do you hear me?"

"The hell I won't!" Miriam spat. "After everything he's done to us, it's the least that he deserves!"

"Miriam, don't do this." Justine stepped forward. "Don't kill Bob, okay? He's Elle's father-"

"-Fuck him!" Elle shrieked. "After what he did to me and MY mother, Miriam can kill him all she wants as long as she lets me watch!"

Sylar blinked as he turned to Elle. "You really can be hard-core, can't you?"

Elle shrugged. "The moment Isabelle showed me what I'd been made to forget about my treatment at my father's hands, not to mention my mother's, I knew that he would be dead to me the first chance I got. I'm only playing nice for now to keep him from getting wise to our little plan to overthrow him. I say let Miriam tear him apart."

Justine locked eyes with her twin. "Do you want Bob to die now, or do you want him to live and suffer slowly, knowing that everything he'd built up and worked for is gone? I think that letting him live with what he's done, knowing that he's lost everything is much more fitting, don't you?"

Miriam looked away, relaxing as Angela and Matt let her go. "Whatever we're going to do, we need to do it quickly before I end up losing my temper and killing him." She glanced over at Noah. "Bob's taken a lot from me, my sisters and my friend. Please promise me that we'll make him pay."

Noah nodded. "After what he's taken from me, I intend to make him pay dearly." He looked around at the group. "So are we all clear? We are to play nice with Bob until we get our hands on Roger. Once we can get Roger and help him become the man he used to be, all bets are off as far as Bob's concerned. We'll go after him together and force him to step down." Everyone nodded as Noah sighed. "Good. Now I don't know about the rest of you, but it's been a long day. Hell, it's been a long year for me and it's going to be rough for the next few days while we're out in the wild so I'm going to get some sleep." He turned and walked over to the stairway entrance. "See you guys tomorrow." He called as he opened the door and headed downstairs to his apartment.

Peter frowned as he walked over to his mother. "If Miriam and Justine were able to remember Kit, can I?"

Angela nodded. "I think you've been around Adam and Claire enough to heal your brain to remember. You did it to remember your life after you returned from Ireland."

"Will I ever remember him again?" Nathan asked.

"I don't know." Angela turned to Miriam. "How did Isabelle help Elle?"

"I don't know." Miriam shook her head. She looked over at Isabelle and ruffled her hair. "You think you might be able to help Nathan and Peter remember Kit as well? He's their cousin too." Isabelle ducked her head down, shrugging as she stared at her feet. "I think you two are going to have to try and get on her good side if you want that to happen."

"I guess that means a big fat 'no' for me, then." Peter smiled wryly.

"Probably so." Miriam smirked. She turned to Angela. "So Kit's in Amsterdam?"

"Yes. He is." Angela nodded. "He's a computer analyst for some financial company there. He plays in a band at night."

"How's he doing?"

"Alright." Angela shrugged. "He misses his family."

"I want to see him. Give me his address so I can teleport or astral project there."

Angela's eyes narrowed. "You'll do neither for the moment. If you teleport while you're in Primatech, Bob will know and want to know where you went. If you astral project, it will leave a psionic signature that Bob can trace. He's been dying to get his hands on Kit since he locked Roger away and now that Kit's manifested, he'll be salivating for the boy even more."

"He's manifested?" Justine grinned. "It's about time! I remember how he used to complain about our powers and how he always had to do things the hard way."

"What can he do?" Miriam asked.

Angela rolled her eyes. "You'll see soon enough. I'LL go to Kit first and let him know that the two of you have finally remembered him. I just saw him earlier, as a matter of fact. I projected there earlier today and told him about the two of you working with Bob. I'll invite him to come back if you two promise to protect him. I swore to Roger that I'd keep Kit safe."

"We'll protect him with our lives." Justine nodded.

"Of course. He's family." Miriam laughed softly as she choked back a sob. "I can't believe we're going to see him again after all this time."

"Believe it." Angela studied Miriam for a moment before she stepped closer to her. "Come here. I've been wanting to do this since you manifested at five." She wrapped her arms around Miriam and hugged her tightly. "You and your sister look so much like your mother, it hurts. I miss her so much."

"I know." Miriam nodded.

Angela leaned closer to Miriam, pressing her lips to the younger woman's ear. "If you ever attack my son again, not even Adam's power will protect you because I'll blow your hot-tempered little head off." She hissed. As she stepped away from Miriam, she smiled softly at her. "Understand?" Miriam started laughing for a moment until Angela's smile quickly faded into a hard, resolved mask. "I'm not joking, Little Girl."

Miriam stopped laughing. She nodded quickly. "I understand."

"Good." Angela turned to Justine and hugged her as Sylar walked over to Miriam, laughing.

"Looks like Miriam the all-powerful just got her ass handed to her and Angela didn't even have to lift a finger."

"This coming from the guy that's scared of a teenager." Miriam smirked.

"I'm not ashamed to admit it, either. If Isabelle had pulled on you what she pulled on me, you'd be scared shitless of her too." Sylar nodded.

"What did she do?" Miriam asked.

"She made me see everything that I've ever been afraid of, coming at me in a huge massive group. One minute I was stepping towards her to kill her, the next minute all of the bullies that had terrorized me as a child, the monsters that scared me on television that I swore were hiding under my bed at night, they were all around me and I knew without a shadow of a doubt in my mind that they all wanted me dead." Sylar shuddered. "I was so freaked out, if Justine hadn't stopped Isabelle when she did, I probably would have had a heart attack or stroke, I would have simply been-"

"-Scared to death." Miriam said softly. "Wow. I REALLY need to practice that aspect of Izzie's power."

"Please don't." Sylar smirked at her. "I'd rather you not use it on me whenever you're feeling pissy."

Miriam was about to retort back when she noticed Sylar's smirk quickly fade and an expression of sadness and jealousy cross his face. She turned and followed his gaze to Justine and Nathan as they stood together, talking with Angela.

Angela raised an eyebrow as she approached her son and his date. "So you two are dating."

"I asked her out this afternoon after I met her, she agreed." Nathan smiled at Justine. "I'm glad I asked."

Justine smiled back at him. "I'm glad I accepted."

Angela studied Justine closely for a moment, noticing the way Justine's eyes quickly darted to Sylar for a moment before returning to Nathan. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed the way Justine quickly blushed when her eyes met Sylar's briefly. She turned to Nathan, trying to smile. "I don't understand why you would keep something like this a secret from me. I certainly have no problem with you dating someone again, least of all my goddaughter." She turned back to Justine. "I don't have a problem, that is, unless you're just dating my son to make someone else jealous."

Justine's blush deepened as she quickly averted her eyes, avoiding Angela's penetrating gaze. "I accepted the date with Nathan because I liked him, that's the only reason."

"I hope it is." Angela checked her watch. "It's time for me to return home. This little power of mine can be useful, but it's also rather exhausting to be in two places at once." She smiled at Nathan and turned to Peter, patting his arm. "I'll see you both at home?"

"Yeah, sure." Peter watched in amazement as Angela faded from view. "Now THAT is one freaky little power."

"Tell me about it." Nathan glanced over at Sylar, noticing the hungry way he was watching Justine. Clearing his throat, he turned to her. "Ready to go?"

"Sure." She turned to Miriam and Matt. "I would say that I'll see you back at Primatech, but I have a feeling that you're going to be a little busy, so I'll see you both in the morning when you come up for air."

"You would be right about that feeling, too." Miriam grinned. "I'll see you in the morning before we get ready to bring Uncle Roger home." She laughed softly as she reached out to hug Justine. "I hope we can bring him back to how he was."

"Me too." Justine hugged her sister back. "When I think of what he's gone through in the past twelve years-" She let go of Miriam, shaking her head as she blinked back tears "-I just want to kick Bob's ass for removing our memories."

"We'll get him for it. We'll get him for everything." Miriam nodded. She watched as Justine returned to Nathan and walked away with him, the two of them climbing onto the ledge of the building together before jumping off and flying away. Miriam turned and spotted Sylar, studying him as he stared at the ground, dejected. Before she could say anything to him, Isabelle joined him and took his hand, squeezing it softly.

Sylar glanced over at his little sister and smiled softly. "I'm okay. She's just a woman, right?" He sighed as Isabelle leaned against him, resting her head against his chest as her eyelids drooped. "You look tired, let's get you home." He whispered as he leaned down and picked her up, carrying her over to Miriam and Matt. "I think Iz is ready for bed."

Miriam nodded, yawning. "She's not the only one." She turned to Elle and touched her shoulder. Elle smiled up at Miriam as her friend shrugged. "So how do we get home, should we test out my new teleport capabilities or just take that silly company car back?"

"I think we should keep your teleportation skills under wrap for now." Elle glanced over her shoulder at Peter, noticing the way he stared out at the New York skyline. She rolled her eyes and turned back to Miriam. "Let's just climb on down and get to the car."

"Yeah." Miriam turned to Sylar. "Want me to take her?" She nodded at Isabelle.

"I've got her." Before Miriam could stop him, Sylar climbed on the ledge and jumped down. Miriam gasped and leaned over the ledge, watching as Sylar hovered with Isabelle. He smirked. "Telekinesis. I can't fly, but I can hover and lower myself and my sister down like a feather." Miriam watched as Sylar slowly drifted down with a sleeping Isabelle in his arms.

"Show off." She muttered. She turned to Matt. "See you back at the building?"

"See you there." Matt kissed her passionately before she turned to Elle and quickly blinked out of sight, teleporting to the car.

Matt smiled to himself as he turned to Mohinder and Peter. "You staying with Molly and Maya tonight?" He asked.

"Yes." Mohinder nodded. "Why didn't you tell Molly that Sylar's your brother at dinner tonight?"

Matt looked away sadly. "I'm not ready to spring that on her. I thought I was, but-" he shook his head "-how do I even BEGIN to tell her that one of the men that she's looked up to as a father figure this last year is brothers with the man that terrorized her and killed her parents?"

"It will be difficult, but she needs to know and soon." Mohinder turned to Peter. "Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah, sure. " Peter said, absent-mindedly. "I can't believe she's had a power all this time and I never realized it." He shrugged. "Of course, there are a lot of things that have come out that seem almost unbelievable." He turned to Matt and Mohinder. "I had a cousin that I was close to and I can't even remember what he looks like."

"Miriam, Isabelle and Justine were pretty much in the same boat with you." Matt nodded. "I have a feeling you'll get a chance to reconnect with Kit pretty soon. If the girls have any say in it, Kit is going to find himself back here on the double."

Peter smiled softly. "That will be good. Maybe once I see him, I'll finally remember him." His smile faded. "The question is, WHY can't I remember him already? I remembered everything else The Haitian erased, having to do with the events leading up to Kirby Plaza and my incarceration in Primatech afterwards."

"Perhaps your memory was jogged by your need to remember Nathan. Nathan was a large part of your life leading up to Kirby Plaza." Mohinder nodded. "I mean, you obviously didn't remember EVERYTHING of your life that The Haitian erased, you just remembered the parts with Nathan."

"I guess so." Peter sighed. "Maybe once I see Kit, I'll remember him too." He glanced out at the city skyline again before turning back to his friends. "You guys need a lift down to the car?"

"Mohinder will." Matt grinned. "Care to teleport me over to Primatech? I'd like to see the look on Miriam's face when she realizes I've beaten her back home."

"What do you SEE in her, anyway?" Peter asked.

"She's got a bigger heart than she likes to admit." Matt shrugged as Peter placed a hand on his and Mohinder's shoulders. He first teleported them to Mohinder's car before blinking out of sight with Matt.

"See you later." Mohinder said softly as he climbed into his car and drove away.

* * *

As Sylar turned a corner to reach the car he smirked, spotting Miriam and Elle as they leaned against it, waiting for him. He rolled his eyes as he set a sleepy Isabelle down. "And you called ME a show-off, what did YOU do, fly down here with Elle?"

"Nope, teleported." Miriam turned and climbed into the car with Elle.

"I wish I could do that." Sylar muttered as he slid into the back seat beside Isabelle.

Miriam grinned once they arrived at the Primatech facility and she spotted Matt pacing the parking lot. The moment the car stopped, she jumped out of the car and ran to him, hugging him tightly. "Were you waiting here long?"

"Long enough." Matt hugged her back. "Peter teleported me here. I even beat Justine and Nathan."

"Did you catch any goodnight kisses between the two of them?" Miriam grinned. "Or did Nathan follow Justine inside to continue the date?"

"He kissed her on the cheek at the front door, just like a perfect little gentleman." Matt shrugged. "Sucker."

"Just a kiss?" Sylar rolled his eyes. "I got further than THAT on my first date with her."

"You call going to a bar in the hotel you're staying at a date?" Miriam asked.

"Yes, I do." Sylar nodded.

Matt put an arm around Miriam's shoulders as they entered the building. "You know, WE started up in a bar too. I seem to remember someone shoving their tongue down my throat after a few drinks and practically dragging me back to my hotel room."

"She hit on you in a bar too?" Sylar chuckled as he, Elle and Isabelle followed them into the building. "Wow, you two are even more identical than I thought."

"Maybe it's just a Parkman brother thing." Miriam smirked. "Maybe women are just compelled to hit on you both in bars, ever think about that?"

"No, but it certainly makes me want to frequent bars more often." Sylar stopped at the door to his room. "Well, I will leave the rest of you here and I'll see everyone in the morning." He turned to Isabelle. "You're getting the cot tonight, you do realize that?" Isabelle raised an eyebrow at him as he shook his head. "I'M not getting the cot, this is MY room, you're the one who wanted to bunk with me, you're getting the cot." He turned back to everyone. "Goodnight all." He walked into his room with Isabelle and closed the door behind them.

Elle sighed. "Who wants to bet that Sylar's going to be bitching about sleeping on a lumpy cot in the morning?"

"I'm not taking that bet." Miriam shook her head. "If Isabelle's powers don't put him on that cot, the fact that he's wrapped around her pinkie will." She yawned as she leaned against Matt. "See you in the morning?"

"I have a feeling that the earliest I'll be seeing the two of YOU is mid-afternoon." Elle laughed softly as she headed towards her room. "Have fun, you two."

"Oh, we will." Miriam turned to Matt. "Ready for bed?"

"And everything that comes with it." Miriam giggled as Matt picked her up around the waist and carried her down the hall to her room, slung over his shoulder.

* * *

Sylar tossed and turned on the lumpy cot, frowning as he tried to sleep. He sat up for a moment and studied Isabelle as she slept, framed in the light from the bathroom door. "I thought I said YOU were going to be sleeping on this contraption." He muttered as he lay back down and fidgeted for a moment. He didn't notice when Isabelle's eyes opened, all he knew was that suddenly, he was compelled to sleep and sleep deeply.

He woke up in a different bed, frowning as he threw back the covers. Staring at the pastel striped wallpaper of the room, he glanced over and saw another bed against the adjoining wall. "Okay, where in the hell am I?"

"You ask this every night and I answer every night." Sylar turned to see Isabelle standing in the doorway. "Honestly, I should start making you remember all of this so I don't have to explain it every time."

"What?" Sylar blinked, confused.

Isabelle sighed as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You're in my world. I'm sure you've heard Matt talk about how I brought Molly here, right?"

"Yeah." Sylar nodded. "You brought Elle here, too."

"I did." Isabelle looked around. "We've been doing this every night since we met."

"Why?" Sylar frowned.

"To help you."

"Help me do what?"

Isabelle smiled softly. "Be a better person." She watched as Sylar climbed out of bed and quickly darted by his side to make the bed, carefully smoothing down the sheets and bedspread.

Sylar looked around the room, studying the girly décor as Isabelle tidied up. "Is this your home in Maine?"

"It's my memory of it, yes."

"Whose room is this?" He looked at both beds and grinned. "Was this Miriam and Justine's room?"

"It was."

"Whose bed was I in?" Sylar grinned. "It was Justine's wasn't it?"

Isabelle rolled her eyes as she straightened up and turned to him. "I honestly don't know if this little infatuation with Justine is for real, or if it's just a side-effect of what we've been doing here at night, but you've really got to give it a rest and stop chasing after her like Pepe LePew."

"What do you mean?" Sylar frowned. "Okay, what in the HELL have we been doing in here?"

"What I told you, I'm making you a better man." Isabelle nodded towards the door. "Come on." She led Sylar out of the room into a hallway. He glanced down a flight of stairs and saw a living room below. As he began to head down the stairs, Isabelle sighed. "We're not going down there."

"Why not?" Sylar stopped halfway down the stairs, his eyes widening as the image of a woman lying dead on the floor flickered in and out. His eyes wide, he turned to Isabelle as she looked away, tears brimming in her eyes. "That was your mother."

"I found her." She whispered. "I keep trying to make that go away, but it won't. Whenever I think of that room now, she just sort of pops in there."

"I'm sorry." Sylar climbed back up the stairs and hugged her gently. "I'm sorry you're the one who found her."

"I don't want to remember her that way, but it's the first thing I DO remember whenever I think of her. I see that blank look and the way she lay on the floor and that photo of her, covered in blood." Isabelle shook her head. "I want to remember something else about her."

"You'll remember her as she was one day soon, again. I promise."

"Really?" Isabelle looked up at him, her eyes narrowing. "Think of YOUR mother, what's the first image that pops into YOUR head?" Sylar looked away as Isabelle nodded. "That's what I thought. Wanna SEE what the first thing you remember is?"

"No." Sylar muttered.

"No? Well, you're going to, like it or not." She turned and opened a door that had suddenly appeared in the wall behind them. "Come on."

"Iz-" Sylar sighed as Isabelle turned to him, a stern look on her face. His shoulders slumped as he followed her through the door. He gaped at the long hallway, filled with doors on either side, stretching as far as he could see. "What is this?"

Isabelle stared down the long hallway. "Every person I've ever met, even for just a brief moment is here. Each doorway leads to their-"

"-minds?" Sylar's eyes widened as Isabelle nodded. "Weird."

"I haven't ever gone through most of them. Most of them are just people I've passed on the street, but there are some doors I've gone through quite a bit." Isabelle frowned as Sylar tried to open a door. "That door is locked. It'll never open again."

"Whose door is it?" Sylar shook his head. "Whose mind is this?"

"It was my mother's." Isabelle looked away again. "I can't even open it anymore."

"You couldn't just make it disappear?" Sylar asked.

"It doesn't work that way." Isabelle's frown deepened as Sylar began to head towards another door. "Do you MIND?"

"Whose mind is this?" Sylar grinned. "Justine's?" Before Isabelle could speak, he'd opened the door. The moment he peeked inside, he quickly stepped back out, shuddering as he closed it. "You could have WARNED me that it was Miriam's mind!" He grimaced. "You know, I thought it was bad enough to HEAR her and Matt getting it on."

"You deserved that one." Isabelle smirked. She stepped in front of another door and turned to Sylar. "Ready?"

"We're not going to walk into Bob's mind and poke around, are we? I mean, he's not whacking off or anything at the moment, is he?"

"This isn't Bob's mind. Why in the HELL would we want to go into HIS mind?" Isabelle opened the door and nodded for Sylar to enter. "Let's go."

"Where are we going?" Sylar stepped through the door and blinked, his eyes adjusting to the bright sunlight that greeted him. He looked around, staring at the busy streets and sidewalks where he stood as Isabelle joined him. "I know this place." Sylar spotted a building and began to walk towards it. "That's my dad's shop." He muttered as he stared at the sign. "It was called 'Gray and Sons', but it was rather misleading. It was started by my grandfather Phillip Gray in the 1950's and my father and his brother Jeff were the sons on the sign. By the time my grandfather died, Uncle Jeff was already dead as well. He was killed in Vietnam, so Dad was the only son left and he only had one son." Sylar shrugged. "And I wasn't even really his."

"He loved you and raised you as his son, he was your dad, no matter what." Isabelle squeezed his hand. "I didn't even have THAT growing up. My mom had to be Mom and Dad for me. Mir and Juss helped though as much as they could."

"Why are we here?" Sylar stared at his sister. "What memory is this?" Before Isabelle could answer, Sylar grimaced as he stared down the street. "Oh shit."

Isabelle turned and followed Sylar's gaze, spotting a young boy as he ran down the street, his face a mask of terror. The boy was small for his age and skinny, his black hair a plastered-down helmet on his head, save for a lone cowlick that stood straight up from the crown. As he ran, his glasses, taped together at the bridge, began to slide down his nose. The boy pushed the glasses back up and turned, his dark brown eyes widening as he spotted two young boys chasing him. He turned and began to run faster towards the shop. Just as he reached the door, the two boys tackled him, knocking him sideways onto the sidewalk. "LET ME GO!" He shrieked as the boys began to pummel him.

"What in the hell is going on out here?" The boys looked up to see a tall, slender man standing in the doorway of the watch shop. "Gabriel?" He stepped out of the doorway as the two bullies scattered. "THAT'S RIGHT! RUN, YOU MOTHERLESS BASTARDS! JUST YOU WAIT UNTIL I CALL WHAT PASSES FOR YOUR PARENTS! WHEN THEY GET THROUGH WITH YOU, YOU'LL HAVE TO SIT ON PILLOWS AT MASS!" After the boys ran, the man turned and helped the smaller boy stand. "Beating on you again, Son?"

Sylar looked away as his younger self stood and straightened out his clothes. He looked around, frantically as he realized his glasses were missing. "My glasses-"

"-Here." Andrew Gray leaned down and picked the glasses up from the sidewalk. As he helped his son up the steps into the shop, Sylar and Isabelle followed them. Andrew Gray wiped off the lenses of the glasses with the tail of his shirt before handing them back to his son. "You know, if you turned around and threw a punch or two instead of running, they might not whale on you so hard."

"I doubt that." Gabriel Gray sat down on a stool and stared at the floor. Andrew Gray tilted his son's face up to study the bruises on his eye and cheek. "They'd just hit harder."

"They're like wild dogs, Gabe. They see something run, they think they have to chase it down. They pick on the weaker ones, or the ones they perceive to be weaker. If you stood up to them-"

"-If I stood up to them, you and Ma would end up having to see me in a hospital." Gabriel muttered.

"Maybe, but I doubt they'd end up beating you again." Andrew winked at his son. "Because if they put you in the hospital, they'd end up in juvie." Andrew sighed and shrugged as he sat down across from his son. "Oh well, at the very least, I know you're getting to be a pretty fast runner." He began to work on a watch as Gabriel studied him. "Maybe in high school we can get you enrolled in track and get you a scholarship."

"What watch is that, Dad?"

Andrew shrugged again. "A Rolex some rich stockbroker brought by earlier. He swore that if I could get it running again, he'd pay me triple what I usually charge. He said it would still be cheaper than buying a whole new Rolex."

"That's pretty cool." Gabriel climbed off of his stool and went around the table to sit beside his father, watching intensely as Andrew continued to fix the watch. "Very cool, actually."

Sylar jumped as Isabelle took his hand and nodded towards a door. "We're done here?"

"Yep." Isabelle sighed as she opened a door.

"And what big lesson was I supposed to learn, huh?"

"You tell me." Isabelle lead him through the door. "Or maybe you can tell me after we watch this."

Sylar's eyes widened as they entered a dark locker room. "You've got to be kidding me."

"I'm not kidding in the least. We saw what you went through at the hands of bullies. Now we get to see you as you BECOME the bully."

"I'd rather not, thank you."

"Tough shit." Isabelle muttered.

"LANGUAGE!" Sylar snapped at her as he began to look around, searching for a door. "How do we get out of here?"

"We're not. We're not going anywhere until you see this." Isabelle glared up at him and then turned to watch the two blond cheerleaders look around in the darkness, terrified.

Sylar grimaced as he watched himself grab one of the cheerleaders and slam her against a wall of lockers, brushing the other off with a flick of his wrist when she tried to pull him off, shoving her against a wall and shattering her face and arm. "That's Claire Bennet." He whispered. "I came there to-"

"-Kill the cheerleader with powers. You wanted her power for yourself." Isabelle pursed her lips disapprovingly as he held the other cheerleader by the throat. She looked away as he sliced the girl's head open with a quick movement of his fingers. "However, you grabbed the wrong cheerleader. But you're about to find that out for yourself, aren't you?" She turned and watched Sylar's reaction as Claire snapped her arm back into place and stood, her face mending in front of his hungry eyes. "But it was too late for the other girl."

"I know." Sylar looked away as his other self tossed the cheerleader to the ground and began to chase Claire as she ran from the room, her hair and clothes covered in blood.

"The bullied becomes the bully."

"Shut up." Sylar murmured.

"You'd think you would have remembered how it felt to run from someone who wanted to hurt you. You'd think you'd remember how it felt to be helpless, at the mercy of someone meaner, bigger, angrier-"

"-I SAID SHUT UP!"

"FUCK YOU!" Isabelle screamed. As Sylar stared at her in shock, Isabelle shook her head angrily. "What changed you, huh? WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO SOMEONE ELSE? YOU KNEW HOW IT FELT AND YET YOU BECAME WHAT YOU HATED THE MOST! WHY?"

"BECAUSE I WANTED TO BE SPECIAL!" Sylar yelled back. Shaking a finger in her face, he glared. "And when we wake up, you are going to be so grounded for using that kind of language, Young Lady!"

"You're not going to remember it, dick weed!" Isabelle smirked.

"The hell I won't! You're fifteen years old, I'm thirty. Using that kind of language is unacceptable." He gasped as Isabelle flipped him off. "That's it! You are grounded for the rest of your life AND I'm washing your mouth out with soap when we wake up."

"Just try it." Isabelle snarled as she opened another door.

"I will!" Sylar followed her through another door and groaned. "Not THIS!" He watched as he began to taunt Eden before pulling her through the glass of his cell. "And we're watching this because?"

"She was your sister, OUR sister-"

"-It's not like I knew it at the time-"

"-and because of you, she blew her brains out." Isabelle looked away as Eden shot herself. As Sylar watched himself rage over her dead body before The Haitian and security guards arrived to subdue him, he leaned against a wall before sliding down into a heap. Isabelle turned to him, noticing the anguish on his face. "What?"

Sylar stared at the floor. "She was my sister. She was our sister." He looked up at Isabelle, his eyes filling with tears. "If she had longer hair, she could have been a double for you. It wasn't until just now that I realized how similar to you she looked, especially the eyes and the dimples." Sylar began to cry as Isabelle walked over to him and knelt beside him. "I would have killed her if she hadn't killed herself. I would have killed her and taken her power and not thought a thing in the world about it. I would have done the same to you in Washington if you hadn't stopped me with you powers." He buried his face in his arms, sobbing as Isabelle wrapped her arms around him. "I just wanted to be special." He moaned softly.

"But you already were, don't you get that?"

"How?" Sylar lifted his face, staring at her. "How the hell was I special? What was so special about me, huh? You didn't know me before-"

"-I did. I've been in here, in your head ever since we first met. You WERE a good person, Gabriel. You were special. You just didn't see it." Isabelle rested her head on his shoulder, hugging him. "I just wish YOU could see it."

"How can I, when all you show me is the bully I became?"

"These are YOUR memories, Gabriel. Everything I've shown you, you can remember without me. You can remember the guy who would check on his elderly neighbors and take out their trash. You can remember the man who-"

"-The man who let his mother bully him until he finally snapped and killed her-" Isabelle sighed as Sylar quickly stood and headed towards a door. "-The man who traveled the country, stalking and killing. I can remember THAT man too!"

"Where are you going?" Isabelle jumped up and began to follow him through the door. They were standing in the hallway of doors again as Sylar began to pace the floor.

"Is this what you've been doing every night, showing me the error of my ways, so to speak? Have you been making me relive the murders I've committed? Have you been showing me nightly all the times I got my ass handed to me by bullies?"

"Among other things." Isabelle nodded.

"Why?" Sylar glared at her.

"To make you realize that killing is wrong. I've been doing this to make you become a better person."

"Really?" Sylar shook his head. "What about these other people, huh?" Sylar pointed at the doors. "Why don't you help THEM and leave me the hell ALONE?"

"Because I know that deep down, you're a good man."

"You know that, huh?" Sylar leaned down, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. "What if I'm NOT a good man, deep down? What if I'm just a sick, twisted, evil bastard through and through? What if I'm a lost cause?" He laughed as he let Isabelle go.

"I think if you were all of those things, you wouldn't care about me or Matt or Justine or even Miriam."

"What if I told you I didn't give two SHITS about any of those people?"

"I wouldn't believe you." Isabelle shook her head.

"No?" Sylar turned and kicked at a few doors.

"Stop that." Isabelle whispered.

"Why?" Sylar smirked. "Hell, let's open a few other doors, huh? Let's get a few more people in here. I bet there are plenty of people who would tell you not to bother with me. Miriam would be one of them." He pointed to Miriam's door. "Mohinder definitely would and so would Maya. Let's open a few more doors and get a few more people in here to agree with me and say that I'm nothing but a rotten piece of shit."

"But you're NOT!" Isabelle shook her head again vehemently. "You're special, Sylar. I just want you to see that. I want you to see that you were always special and that killing people was wrong. I want you to see that you don't have to kill anyone else."

As Sylar began to speak, he jumped as a voice began to call to him down the hall. He frowned, hearing the voice call out frantically as they began to pound on the door. "HELLO? HELLO? IS ANYONE THERE? LET ME OUT!"

Sylar turned to Isabelle. "One of your victims?"

Isabelle's face drained of color as she shook her head. "No." She whispered.

"I CAN HEAR SOMEONE OUT THERE! PLEASE LET ME OUT!"

As Sylar began to run down the hall, Isabelle grabbed his hand. "Gabriel, don't do it."

"What have you done?" Sylar glared down at her. "Is it someone else you tried to reform? Did you trap them in here?"

"No." Isabelle clutched at Sylar's hand tighter. "Don't let him out, Gabriel. He's a bad man."

"Then I guess we'll have something in common." Sylar shook Isabelle's hand off as he began to run down the hall. He stopped at a door as Isabelle began to run after him. Just as his hand reached the doorknob, she tackled him and knocked him to the ground. "What's gotten into you?"

"You can't let him out!" Isabelle wailed as she turned. Sylar watched as her expression turned to terror as the door swung open. "No! No! No! No! NO!" She shrieked as she grabbed Sylar's hand. "We have to get out of here."

"Who is in that room? Whose mind is that?" Sylar asked as Isabelle hauled him up and began to run down the hall, dragging him with her. She reached the end of the hall and opened the door, shoving Sylar through it before following him.

* * *

Sylar gasped as he woke up on the cot. Sitting up, he turned to see Isabelle bolt awake in her bed. Pointing a finger at her, Sylar glared. "I remember what you did and what you said. You are GROUNDED!"

Isabelle gave him a terrified look as she threw back the covers on the bed and ran for the door. Before Sylar could stop her, she threw the door open and ran to Miriam's room. Matt answered after she pounded on it and stared down at her, stunned at her wild-eyed appearance. "Izzie? What's wrong?" He looked up at Sylar. "What the hell did you do to her?"

"What did I do to HER? The better question is, what in the HELL has SHE been doing to ME when I've been sleeping? Ask her! Ask her what she's been up to!" Sylar glared down at her.

"What's going on?" Miriam asked as she joined Matt at the door, her hair rumpled as she tied a robe around her waist. She knelt beside Isabelle. "Izzie? What's going on?"

Isabelle struggled to speak, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Bad man! Bad man!"

Miriam glared at Sylar. "What the FUCK did you do to her?"

"NOTHING!" Sylar glared back.

Isabelle shook her head as she gulped back sobs. "Bad man! He's awake!"

"Who?" Matt asked.

"THE NIGHTMARE MAN!" Isabelle moaned.

Matt's eyes widened as he let go of Isabelle. "No." He groaned as he began to run down the hall.

"What is she talking about?" Sylar asked as he followed his brother, with Miriam and Isabelle hot on their heels.

"The Nightmare Man?" Miriam gasped as they reached the authorized personnel only door. "You don't think she means-?"

"-I hope not." Matt turned to Miriam. "Phase us through?" Miriam nodded and took Isabelle's hand, then Matt's. Sylar quickly grabbed Isabelle's free hand as the four of them phased through the door and ran down the hall together. They all stopped cold as they entered a clinic room and stared at the man in the bed, stunned as he turned to them, a confused look on his face.

"Matt?" Maury asked sleepily. "Son? Is that you? I had the weirdest dream."


	21. Chapter 21: Maury's Tale

Chapter Twenty-One: Maury's Tale

October 8, 2007

Hartsdale, New York

Maury looked around the darkened clinic room, confused as a stunned Matt, Sylar, Miriam and Isabelle stared at him. "Where am I? What's going on?" Maury struggled to move and sit up for a moment before relaxing as he looked down at the restraints keeping him tied to the bed. "Why am I tied to a bed? What happened?"

Matt cleared his throat, making Maury turn to him. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Coming to Primatech to kill Bob." Maury whispered. "And then you trapped me in the nightmare that I made for Molly." Maury stared at Matt. "Did I do it though? Did I kill Bob?"

"No, you did not." Everyone turned as Bob strolled into the room, switching on a light. Bob shrugged as everyone stared at him. "In case you didn't notice, there WAS a medical technician outside. She called me as soon as Maury woke up and then called me again to let me know that the four of you had come in here." He looked over the group, smirking. "And who do I have to thank for Maury's awakening?" He rolled his eyes as Sylar and Isabelle silently pointed to each other. "I see."

"Isabelle did it." Sylar glared down at his younger sister. "Apparently she's been taking me on a little mind-trip in my sleep since she met me in an attempt to rehabilitate me. She accidentally let Maury out tonight."

"Did not. YOU opened the door to his mind." Isabelle whispered as she cowered between Matt and Miriam, staring at the floor and clutching her ever-present doll. "Told you not to do it."

"Define 'mind-trip'." Miriam said softly.

"Isabelle?" Maury stared at the young girl, a soft smile playing on his lips. "You're my Isabelle? You're so beautiful, Sweetie. You have my power too, from what I hear." He turned to Bob, a triumphant gleam in his eyes. "So much for that shit you pulled on her when she was barely a toddler, huh? Look at my girl now. She freed me." He whispered the last sentence softly, almost reverently as he studied the young girl. "You look like a dark-haired version of your mother. So beautiful, just like Vicki." His eyes lifted to Miriam and widened. "Vicki?" He shook his head. "No, you're not her, you're too young." His smile widened as he studied her. "You must be one of the twins, either Justine or Miriam."

"I'm Miriam."

"Your hair is a shade or two blonder, but other than that-" Maury sighed softly, his eyes growing misty "-you're your mother made over." Miriam looked away, uncomfortable at the penetrating gaze that Maury gave her before he turned back to Bob, frowning. "Wait, if Isabelle and Miriam are here and YOU'RE still alive, where is Vicki?" Maury began to struggle against his restraints again. "She would never allow YOU to have anything to do with her girls. Where is she? Not if she were alive would you-" Maury stopped struggling as Bob glared at him and closed his eyes. "-she's dead?" Matt's eyes widened as a tear escaped from one of Bob's eyelids and slowly trickled down his cheek. "After everything I did, Vicki's dead. How?"

Miriam glared at him. "Your little friend Adam killed her." Her glare faded as Maury's chin quivered. "What's the matter? I thought the two of you were in cahoots together to kill everyone. Adam killed Kaito, you attacked Angela and tried to kill Bob-"

"-he PROMISED ME!" Maury opened his eyes and turned to Miriam. "Adam swore that if I helped him, he'd spare Victoria."

"What?" Miriam asked.

Maury nodded as he slumped in the bed, defeated. "He came to me after he escaped from here, tracked me down. He told me that if I didn't go after Bob and Angie, he'd kill me where I stood and then he'd go after Vicki and Isabelle. He swore that if I did what he told me to do, he'd spare them both, so I did it. I attacked Angie, but I didn't kill her. I made it look like I put in an effort to keep Adam at bay, but I knew she was basically safe in the police station, then I came here to go after you." Maury glared at Bob. "Actually, I didn't need much convincing for that part, considering what you did to my little girl, here. Adam really didn't have to threaten me to go after YOU." Maury snarled as his eyes bore into Bob's. "The things you've made me do over the years, the blackmail you subjected me to so I would do your bidding. 'Screw my wife and tape it or I'll call your bookie'-"

"-Enough, Maury." Bob gave him a warning look and shook his head. "You say one more thing and I'll put you somewhere even your daughter can't release you."

"We used to be friends." Maury growled. "You and me against the pretty boys like Adam and Danny. I even asked you to be Matty's godfather, but then something changed. You got mean and you got mean to me. You only called me when you needed my powers, you attacked my daughter-"

"-Say one more word-" Bob started to speak.

"-I say let him talk." Miriam smirked at Bob. "I'm starting to see you in a whole new light here, Bob-O. If Maury's to be believed, you're even sicker than I thought."

"He is, he is." Maury nodded. "Why on earth are you even here, Miriam? Why is Isabelle with you? Your mother wouldn't want either of you here, she wouldn't want you to have any kind of dealings with this lowly snake. She's probably spinning in her grave to know that her girls are working with HIM." Miriam looked away. "Don't trust him, whatever he's promising you. Anything he offers you will come with a caveat, if he even follows through at all-"

"-I SAID ENOUGH!" Bob yelled.

"NO!" Maury struggled against his restraints again. He looked at Bob, concentrating as his eyes bore into Bob's. "Let me go." He hissed.

Bob sighed and leaned against the wall as Maury continued to glare at him before finally giving up and lying back down, confused. Bob nodded as he picked a piece of lint from his suit. "Our research and development team has come up with a wondrous medication. It inhibits your powers if taken daily orally or through a daily injection." Bob nodded at the IV bag that hung beside Maury's bed. "You can try to play your mind games all you want, but nothing is going to happen."

"You son of a bitch." Maury whispered. "If you hurt those girls-"

"-I won't hurt anyone." Bob sounded bored. "Justine is here as well. I've offered them immunity from me if they perform a little task for me. Once they've done what I ask, they'll never have to worry about me again."

"Bullshit." Maury muttered. "You'll never leave them alone. You never leave anyone alone." He sighed. "I want to speak to Matt alone, in private."

"I'll leave you alone with him, not that I think he WANTS to be alone with YOU, but you know this room isn't private." Bob smirked. "NO room in this building is truly private."

Maury stared at Bob with naked contempt. "If I ever get my powers back-"

"-Will you just get out of here and let Maury and Matt talk in peace?" Miriam snapped at Bob. "We all know you've got this placed wired to the hilt, okay?

Bob glared back at Maury for a moment. "Before I leave I just have this to say to you, Maury. I was ALWAYS your friend." As Maury scoffed and looked away, Bob nodded. "If it weren't for me always protecting you, Daniel would have had you killed years ago. Kaito and I both discovered a hit that Daniel put out on you seven years ago after you scammed one of his dealers at the Corinthian and won a few thousand." Maury turned and stared at Bob in shock as Bob continued. "I personally paid Daniel back and plead for your life. Would I have done that if I weren't your friend?" Maury looked away again as Bob continued. "I owed you. We were friends many years ago and our friendship was deeply fractured. I take the blame for that completely. I blackmailed you into doing something that I regret now and I injured your daughter needlessly." As he continued to speak, Miriam turned and stared at Bob, her eyes narrowing. "I owed you for all of that, so I went to Daniel with a pile of gold and asked him to remove the hit in exchange for double the money you bilked him out of. I forgive you for trying to attack me here and I'm glad that you're awake, Old Friend. I want us to renew our friendship. I miss our friendship."

Maury stared at his lap sadly. "You've taken away my power, Bob."

"Not permanently. If I believe you've truly reformed and don't mean me any more harm, I'll stop the medication and your powers will be as they were within a matter of days."

"And my kids?" Maury turned and fixed Matt and Isabelle with sad looks. "You'll let them go? You'll leave them alone?"

"They're free to go now, except for Miriam and Justine. They're here to pay back a debt to me for injuries I sustained when Isabelle was injured. After Victoria's death, I hunted the three of them for six months. I've asked them as well as Matt, Isabelle and others to help us track down Roger Chase." At the mention of Roger's name, Maury's head shot up. Bob gave him a quick warning look and shook his head. "Roger escaped from the facility in Canada and he's still manifested into the beast that killed Evelyn and Delta. I think with Miriam and Justine's combined powers, as well as Peter Petrelli's and your other son's here-" he nodded to Sylar "-Roger can be dispatched with little fuss."

"My other son?" Maury stared at Sylar for a moment. "How are you MY son?"

Sylar glared at him for a moment. "You remember a woman named Virginia Gray?" As Maury stared at him blankly, Sylar's eyes narrowed. "You convinced her to sleep with you, apparently."

Maury shrugged, looking contrite. "I sort of did that with quite a few women. It was the seventies, there were a lot of drugs and discos and-"

"-she wasn't a druggie or a dancer, she was a very devout Catholic woman. How she lived with the shame that she ever strayed outside of her marriage-"

"-OH!" Maury blushed. "I did sort of develop a habit of trolling some of the churches around Brooklyn and Queens to pick up women. I had a type."

"Innocent and god-fearing?" Sylar snarled.

"Pious and pretty. And married. I used to put a little suggestion in their heads during church to meet me at a hotel afterwards." He shrugged, embarrassed. "I preferred women that had husbands that resembled me, at least a little. We'd have some fun and then I'd convince them to forget the whole thing. Odds are, your ma never remembered what happened. As far as she was concerned-"

"-You took advantage of her." Sylar glared angrily.

"I gave her a child. I always looked for women that were desperate for children-"

"-my father was sterile. She thought I was a miracle-"

"-and you ARE!" Maury nodded, smiling softly. "Wow, I mean, LOOK at you! I make some damn fine kids, if I do say so myself. I'm not much to look at but I have some great looking children." Maury studied Sylar. "I wish I could remember your mother-" his voice cut off as he began to struggle for breath. Everyone turned to watch as Sylar began to lift his hand, his fingers twisting.

"Sylar, what the hell are you doing?" Miriam whispered. As she began to step towards him, she gasped as she was shoved against the wall with Matt, Bob and Isabelle. "Sylar, stop it!" Miriam hissed.

"Come on! CUT IT OUT!" Matt yelped.

Sylar ignored them as he glared at Maury, his fingers gripping into a fist as Maury turned purple, gasping for air. "You might as well have raped her. " Sylar growled. "In a way, you did. You took advantage of her and she had me. She wasn't SUPPOSED to have me. I wasn't supposed to be born, you piece of shit."

Miriam turned to Isabelle. "Do something, Iz! Stop him!"

Isabelle turned to her sister, her face tranquil as she turned back to Sylar. "Wait for it." She whispered. "It'll work."

"WHAT will work?" Miriam asked. She turned back to Sylar. "You're KILLING him!"

"That's sort of the plan, Sweet Cheeks." Sylar snarled. He took a step towards Maury, his eyes glittering with malevolence as the people behind him struggled to get free of the pressure keeping them shoved against the wall. Sylar stared down at the old man in his bed, his lips curling up in disgust. "You might have your power hampered at the moment, but I'll just bet it's still in there, waiting for me to take. Then, I really WILL be like my brother and sister, won't I?" As he began to raise a finger, he paused, his snarl turning to a frown. He shook his head as he faltered and raised his finger again. "No, I have to do this." He nodded. "I CAN do this!" He began to struggle with himself, his hands shaking before he finally lowered them. Matt, Miriam, Isabelle and Bob stepped away from the walls, stumbling as his grip on them quickly ended. Maury took a deep breath, the color returning to his face as Sylar's grip on him faltered as well. Sylar stared at his hands and then turned to Isabelle, shaking his head as her lips twisted into a soft, 

serene smile. "What the fuck did you DO to me?" He asked before he turned and bolted for the bathroom. Miriam, Matt, Bob and Maury turned to Isabelle as the sound of Sylar's retching filled the room.

"What in the blue fuck was that all about?" Miriam asked.

"Told you. Fixed him." Isabelle shrugged as she leaned against the wall, smiling down at her doll. "Fixed him good."

Miriam tried not to grin as she glanced over at Matt. "Oh, I have GOT to learn how to do THAT!"

"Apparently, she put a mental block in his subconscious?" Bob studied Isabelle as she hummed softly to herself, nodding as Bob continued to speak. "Anytime he tries to kill-"

"-I get a case of the pukes." Sylar walked back into the room, his glare now directed at Isabelle. "Is THAT what you did to me?" Isabelle lifted her head for a moment, nodded once and returned her attention to her doll. "THAT'S what you DID to me? I can't kill ANYONE?" Isabelle shook her head, her smile widening as she continued to play with her doll. "Why you little-" Isabelle didn't make a sound as he instantly pulled her to him with telekinesis. Grabbing her by her upper arms, he lifted her up until they were eye to eye. "-WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, HUH?" He shrieked in pain as Miriam quickly reached out and grabbed him by the forearms. With a fluid motion, she broke both of his arms, grabbed Isabelle from his grasp and set the girl behind her before she turned back to Sylar, regarding him as he collapsed to the floor, both of his arms bent out at an unnatural angle. He looked up at her with tears in his eyes as he wailed in pain. "Stop it! Heal me!"

"Oh, not yet." Miriam crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Not until we get something straight. Now, what Isabelle did wasn't exactly Kosher, but it IS serving a purpose keeping your murderous tendencies in check. If it weren't for her little mental block, Maury would be dead right now-"

"-like the world would weep-" Sylar snarled, shivering in pain as Maury watched the action in front of him with interest.

"-That's not your place to decide. YOU are not ANYONE'S judge and jury, got it? Your days of killing for shits and giggles are obviously over. Do we have an understanding?" Sylar nodded, shivering with pain and anger as Miriam bent over and grabbed his shoulder. Matt and Bob winced as his arms quickly healed, the bones snapping back into place. Sylar moaned with relief as Miriam bent further down, her lips grazing his ear. "I swear to God if you EVER threaten our baby sister again, I'll crush your nuts and I won't heal THOSE, understand me?"

"Yes." Sylar nodded. He looked up as Miriam extended her hand and slowly stood with her help. He glanced over at Isabelle as she looked up at him reproachfully. "Sorry about the yelling and the grabbing." Isabelle nodded softly. "But stay out of my head from now on." He massaged both of his arms as he headed towards the door. "I'll be in my room. Put her someplace else for the night."

"I will." Miriam turned to Isabelle. "We have a few things to discuss, don't we?" Isabelle looked down at the floor, her fingers twining in the doll's yarn hair. "Come on, let's go get Juss. I'm not doing this alone." She turned to Maury. "We'll talk later. I have quite a few questions for you."

"We have a lot to talk about." Maury nodded. His eyes widened as Miriam turned to Matt and gave him a soft kiss on the lips.

"See you back in our room, later?" She asked.

"Will do." Matt kissed her again before she left with Isabelle. Matt turned back to his father, his brow furrowing at the tears in the older man's eyes. "What?"

Maury gave Matt a soft smile. "You're with Vicki's daughter."

"Yeah, I am." Matt nodded as he frowned. "Why are you so excited about that?"

Maury continued to smile. "Because I want you to have for yourself what I was too stupid to keep."

Bob rolled his eyes as Matt blinked at his father, confused. "Before this little bonding session continues, I need Matthew to step out of the room for a moment. There is something that you and I have to discuss, and we have to discuss it now."

Matt sighed. "Sure, I'll be right outside the door."

"Don't go far." Maury called after him. "There's a lot we have to talk about, Son."

Matt turned in the doorway, glaring at his father. "I seriously doubt that we have that much to discuss. And don't call me 'son' again. You lost that right years ago when you walked out on me and my mother." Maury looked away, chastened as Matt left the room.

Bob turned to Maury, closing the door in Matt's wake. "Before I begin-"

Maury sat up in bed, his eyes wide as he stared at Bob. "You're sending those girls to kill ROGER?"

"Keep your voice down." Bob snarled. "That's something we need to discuss. Either you find a way to forget Roger now and DON'T think about him or his family connection to the girls or-"

"-you'll what?" Maury smirked.

"I have the Shanti virus, Maury." Bob nodded as Maury's face fell. "And I'm not afraid to use it, not on you, Matthew, Sylar or your dear little precious Isabelle."

"The girls will heal anyone that gets sick. They have a combination of Adam's healing blood and Daniel's healing touch. You saw Miriam just a moment ago. That young man's arms were shattered and she healed him with a touch of her hand. Do your worst. They'll heal anyone you harm."

"Sure." Bob nodded. "They might heal Matthew and Isabelle, Justine might heal Sylar since they have a bit of a history together, but would they heal YOU? Would they heal the man who took advantage of their mother one night?"

"I never took advantage of Vicki-"

"-Sure you didn't." Bob smirked. "Because a beautiful woman like Victoria Pratt, a woman who had everything going for her, would even look twice at a schlub like you without mental coercion."

"You don't know Vicki as well as you think you do." Maury shook his head. "You have no idea what Vic and I had together." Maury stared off into the distance wistfully. "And now my son is in love with her daughter. History is repeating itself. I can only hope that Matthew and Miriam can find the happiness that events conspired to keep me and Vicki from finding with each other."

"You really are pathetic, aren't you?" Bob sneered. "You honestly believe that you and Vicki had something more than just friendship."

"Just because that's all Evvie wanted from you doesn't mean that Vicki and I-"

"-Shut up!" Bob glared at him. "Just shut up!"

"I'm sorry, did I hit a nerve?" Maury smirked as Bob continued to glare down at him, his face reddening with anger. "Sorry about that, really." Maury muttered sarcastically. "Here's how we're going to play this. YOU will stop giving me those injections and I'll keep my mouth shut about Roger in exchange for getting my power back."

"And if I refuse? What will you do, TELL them who Roger REALLY is?" Bob tried not to laugh as Maury stared up at him silently. "I'd kill you before you uttered the first word."

"Those girls are empathic mimics who have raised their sister from the moment she was born. Miriam and Matthew are obviously intimate. You've already mentioned that they can read minds. My own son can read minds and I have a feeling that all it would take would be for me to have a VERY strong thought with him standing outside this door to let the cat out of the bag and then all it would take would be for him to send those girls a telepathic alert before THEY knew what was going on. Sure, afterwards, you could kill Matthew to make him keep from telling them what he overheard, but then you'd have three VERY angry and VERY powerful young women looking to destroy you, not only for killing their friend, lover and brother but for also attempting to pit them against their own beloved uncle. I wonder how long you'd last against those three girls if they were seriously pissed off. I think Isabelle alone could take you with the power she possesses, don't you?" Bob stopped laughing as Maury smiled up at him maliciously. "So you WILL give me back my power and in exchange I'll keep my mouth AND my mind shut. Deal?"

Bob screwed up his face as if he'd tasted something awful. "Fine. Deal. I'll leave orders to stop the injections."

"Thank you." Maury sat back in the bed with a self-satisfied smile on his face.

"And in exchange, you'll not only forget that Roger Chase ever existed around those girls, but you'll also promise to stay here for a while and help me out with a few things."

Maury regarded Bob warily. "What kind of things?"

"Nothing as bad as I've asked you to do in the past, I assure you." Bob sighed. "I'm going to bed now and I'll leave you alone with your son. It's time for him to get his pound of flesh from you as well."

"I'll do everything you've asked, but only because I know something you've apparently forgotten." Maury called to Bob as he headed for the door.

Bob turned to him, his hand on the doorknob. "And what would that be?"

Maury slowly began to smile. "Those girls might LOOK like Victoria, but they're half Adam's as well and they have his power, too. You might have gotten The Haitian to wipe their memories of Roger when they were teens, but how do you know they haven't remembered him yet? How do you know they're not just shining you on until they can track dear old Uncle Rog down?"

Bob stared at the floor for a moment and shook his head. "Even if they were planning that, Roger is still a monster now."

"A monster who is STILL their uncle, a man who was like another father to them. I have a feeling that if they haven't remembered him yet, they soon will. You'd better hope, for YOUR sake that they remember Roger BEFORE they kill him, because if all of those loving memories of him and his family come flooding back after he's been sent to the morgue, they'll tear you apart and I personally hope I have a front row seat for it."

Bob lifted his head as he pursed his lips and shook his head. "They'll never get the chance to lay a finger on me."

"What makes you so sure? You think your kill squads are going to stand a chance against those them, especially the twins? They're powerful and immortal, thanks to their father. They'll destroy anyone you send after them and if the people they love get caught in the crossfire, it'll just spur them on to come after you all the more." Maury nodded slowly. "You think you're being so smart and so funny, sending those girls out to kill an uncle YOU still assume they've forgotten. I personally can't wait until they make you suffer for your twisted sense of humor."

Bob rolled his eyes. "If I go down, I'll drag you down with me."

"With what?" Maury chuckled. "All of my sins have been laid bare. What else can be revealed about me that hasn't already?" He grinned. "I COULD put a bug in your daughter's ear about what REALLY happened to her mommy-"

"-Don't you dare-" Bob snarled.

"-I wonder how she'll react when she learns that you had Janelle's body tossed into a landfill in East Texas?"

"Maury, I'm warning you-"

"-I wonder what she'll do when she's reminded of all of those letters she wrote to her mother, begging her to come home and promising to be a good little girl if she returned-"

"-I swear to God-"

"-How many gigajoules do you think she'll use to fry her daddy when she finds out all of that?"

"ENOUGH!" Bob snapped, his face turning red with fury.

Maury stared at his hands, still bound to the bed. "I'll be expecting these restraints to be removed soon as well by that technician out there. Don't worry, as long as you give me what I want, I'll keep my mouth shut about Roger and Janelle. I want my power back, I want to spend time with my kids, I want to be able to roam around here as I please and I want a fucking feast for breakfast in the morning. I haven't eaten solid food in months."

Bob looked away, defeated. "Fine." He turned and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. He turned to a waiting Matt, his eyes narrowing. "You hear anything that went on in there?"

Matt shrugged and shook his head, trying to look innocent. "I was too busy trying to stay awake out here." He yawned. "I'd rather be in bed with Miriam than be sitting out here, waiting to talk to HIM. I honestly have nothing to say to him."

Bob nodded slowly. "Don't believe half of what he tells you."

"I won't believe the other half either." Matt turned and walked into the room. He sighed and pulled up a chair, sitting beside Maury's bed. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

Maury sighed, his face sad at the hostile tone in his son's voice. "I wanted to start by apologizing-"

"-For what?" Matt glared. "For attacking me and Nathan in Philadelphia? For attacking Angela Petrelli in my own precinct? For terrorizing my foster daughter-"

"-For everything." Maury sighed. "For all of that and more. I'm sorry for what I did to your little girl and for leaving you when you were just a kid, but things were-"

"-Things were screwed up at home, I know." Matt shook his head. "You and Mom were fighting all of the time-"

"-I wasn't happy. I hadn't been happy in years." Maury looked away. "I wasn't a happy man from the moment I met her."

"Who? MOM?"

"No, not your mother." Maury sighed. "Your mother was a good woman who deserved better than me. She deserved better than a man who ended up falling in love with someone else, someone who was one of his dearest friends and strongest defenders."

"Who was that?" Matt frowned.

"Victoria Pratt." Maury turned to Matt, nodding at the shocked look in his eyes. "Yeah, Matt. If things had been different, if I had been half the man I wanted to be, you and your girl would have been stepbrother and stepsister."

Matt's eyes narrowed as he stared at his father. "I don't believe you."

"Why? Because I look like this?" Maury laughed. "I hate to tell you, but you take after me a bit in the looks department, though you're much better looking than I ever thought about being and you're with Miriam aren't you? Looks truly aren't everything."

"I thought that when you conceived Isabelle that-"

"-That what?" Maury glared at Matt. "That I used my powers to coerce her into sleeping with me? That would have been beneath even me." Maury shook his head and lay back, closing his eyes. "I met Vicki in 1969. Bob and I met in high school. He transferred to Boston when we were fifteen. He was a target for bullies and I was known as one of the bigger kids in school. My size and my power kept the bullies from targeting me. Thing was, I wasn't the best student and I was flunking out. Bob and I became friends. I protected him from the bullies and he helped me graduate. Bob went on to become an accountant and started working for Daniel Linderman. I met Vicki through Bob and Danny. Some of them had started to discover they had powers, some of them already knew and had mastered them. I had mastered mine to a 't' and so had Vicki. She was like a walking microscope. When she concentrated, she could see individual cells, hell she could even see DNA if she really looked hard enough. She was something else, with that long red hair and those big blue eyes. She had legs that went for miles, it was a great time for miniskirts to be in style, you know what I mean?" Maury smiled softly. "But it wasn't just her looks that stopped me dead, it was her smarts. She was so freakin' smart, Matty. As our little group started to come together, we all spent a lot of time together and Vicki became one of my best friends. A few of the others in the group would rag on me and I knew that some of them didn't think I belonged because I wasn't 'college educated' like most of the rest of 'em. Vicki would always shoot them down. She used to tell them that there was more to being a good person than just having an education. She had such a big heart, you know? She made me want to be better than I was. Anyway, in our little group, we were assigned different jobs. Vicki and I were the investigative part of the group. With her vision and my ability to read minds, we were able to work together as a team to get evidence against people after a crime had been committed. We'd gather evidence, find a way to make it self-explanatory to the cops and turn it in anonymously. We got pretty close. I fell in love with her."

"Is that why you convinced her to sleep with Adam and conceive Miriam and Justine?" Matt asked.

"No." Maury's face darkened angrily for a moment. "THAT I did because Adam was threatening you and your mother. Danny had this theory. He believed, and rightfully so, that our powers were genetic. He had an idea to create the perfect super-being. I thought about that theory too and sort of used it as an excuse to cat around on your mother. I preferred redheads, liked to pretend they were Vicki, I guess. Adam took that theory to heart too and thought that Vicki was the perfect person to try and procreate with. He had a thing for her too. Hell, MOST of the men that met her fell head over heels for her, actually. Adam was always hitting on her, always trying to get her to sleep with him and she always cut him off at the knees. She didn't trust him. She was one of the few at the time that didn't. Adam got pissed off and told me that if I didn't stand outside of her apartment and coerce her to let him in and sleep with him, he'd go after you and your mother. I know, I know, you're probably wondering what he could do to you, right? He was immortal. He was also a slick, sneaky little bastard and he was deadly with that stupid-ass sword he always carried around with him. I hated standing outside of that apartment, reading her mind, reading HIS mind and forcing her to do THAT with him. He even made me stay until the next morning, so he could sleep with her all night without her figuring out that what was going on was against her will. I even had to force her to tell him that he was the best she'd ever had. Once we left, she figured out that I had a hand in it. She was pissed and hurt. I'll never forget the look on her face when she confronted me. That's when I unloaded on her, I told her how I felt. I told her how much I loved her and how much I'd always loved her and how much it had killed me to force her to-" Maury choked back a sob "-I told her everything."

Matt blinked for a moment, stunned. "What did she tell you?"

"She told me to go home to my wife and never speak to her again. She told me that it didn't matter how I felt, because I wouldn't stand up to Adam and PROVE it. Soon afterwards, she found out she was pregnant and then Adam pulled his little stunt and ended up getting locked away. She decided to leave the group, what was left of it. Over the years, mainly thanks to Adam and Daniel's machinations, we had started to fracture. Adam trying to infect the world with that virus was the tipping point. We stayed cordial to each other, but none of us wanted to work together anymore, so we went our separate ways. Some people kept up their little alliances, but the only two people I was truly close to were Vicki and Bob. Vicki took off to parts known only to a small handful of people and Bob stayed with the company that had been created, working his way to the top."

Matt frowned. "And you?"

Maury sighed. "Me? After Vicki turned me away, I gave up. I gave up wanting to be a better person, I gave up wanting to help others, I just wanted to wallow in self-pity. I started gambling and fucking around with loan sharks and I ended up finally just leaving you and your mom. After that, I basically just wandered around, being a conman and getting into trouble. Then, sixteen years ago, I snapped. I went to Angela and I used the full force of my powers on her to make her tell me where Vicki was. She fought me so hard, she ended up with a nosebleed, but in the end, I got Vicki's location. I drove up to Maine and found her. The girls were off at a friend's house for the night and she was alone. We started talking. I apologized for everything: for what Adam had forced me to do, for telling her how I felt-"

"-And then you coerced her into sleeping with you." Matt grumbled.

"How many times do I have to say that I didn't do THAT?" Maury glared at his son. "I can't block you right now Son, so go ahead, read my mind and tell me if I'm lying!" Matt looked away as Maury shook his head. "We stayed up for a few hours with a bottle of wine talking and then, I don't know what happened. Maybe we'd both had too much of that wine, maybe she took pity on me, maybe living alone in Maine, she was lonely, I don't know. She took my hand, led me upstairs and-" Maury closed his eyes "-gave me a night that I'll never forget as long as I live. I have never been happier and will never BE happier than I was those few hours. The next morning, I left Vic a note and slipped out before she got up. I ran into the girls on the way out and ducked away before they could touch me. A few months later, Bob told me that Vicki was pregnant. I knew it was mine. I called her and asked her if she needed me for anything, and she said that she could take care of it. After Isabelle was born, I slipped into the hospital late at night to sneak a peek at her and then I went to Vicki's room. We had another great talk and she promised to keep me informed of how Isabelle was coming along if I promised to try and clean up my act a bit. I didn't keep my end of the bargain, but she did keep up hers, at least for a few years."

"Why didn't you ever try to find me and TELL me that I had a little sister, huh?" Matt shook his head.

"I knew you didn't want anything to do with me. By the time Isabelle was born, I was gone from your life and had been gone for nearly ten years. Bob and a couple of others had been keeping tabs on you, finding ways to make your life easier whenever they could by padding your paycheck, giving you 'financial aid' and they'd let me know about you. I knew about your mother passing and I knew that you probably blamed me. What in the hell would you have even said if I'd shown back up and told you about a baby sister in Maine?"

Matt shrugged. "I probably would have kicked your ass."

"I was getting my ass kicked around enough by life, I didn't need another one from you." Maury nodded. "I was a coward, okay? It was one of the reasons I left Vicki the morning after and the reason I didn't stick around to help her raise our daughter. Everything I've ever touched in this life has turned to shit. Vicki and Isabelle didn't need that in their lives and you didn't either. All of you were better off without me."

"How did you find out about Isabelle's illness?"

The corners of Maury's mouth curled into a sneer. "Don't you mean her attack? The twelve of us all still had a stake in Primatech. I might have sold off most of what I owned, but I held onto what little bit of stock I 

had in that company, including my voting privileges. As one of the charter members, I had a vote whenever big decisions had to be made. Most of the time I just let Vicki vote my proxy, I signed that over to her, but after Isabelle's attack, Daniel contacted me. He was on a flight to Odessa to heal Bob after Miriam retaliated. Apparently she used mine and Isabelle's power to compel him to carve up his own face. Too bad Danny fixed it."

"Actually, Justine did it. Miriam just took the fall."

"No shit?" Maury blinked. "Wow, I always heard that it was Miriam."

"Yeah, I know. Miriam said no one would believe Justine would have pulled that, so she wouldn't let Justine cop to it. She took the blame."

Maury whistled softly. "I never heard too much about the girls and the way they behaved, so I would have believed either of them capable, not that I blamed either one of them for doing that to Bob. I was devastated to hear about Isabelle. If I'd been there, I'd have carved him up myself, to hell with compelling HIM to do it to himself. Anyway, Noah Bennet had recommended that Miriam get locked away with Adam and recommended that Justine get tagged with an isotope tracker." He noticed the marks on Matt's neck. "Like yours. Danny and-" Maury bit his lip "-another member, persuaded the other members of the twelve to vote against the recommendation. With the exception of Bob, it was unanimous and the girls were allowed to walk out of Primatech without a tracker, free and clear. Charles Deveaux had a caveat, but it was a small one. He wanted Miriam to apologize to Bob. That was all. We also voted together, with Bob being the only dissenting vote yet again, to have him sent here to Hartsdale. He had made a few other missteps at Odessa and it was decided that he needed to be knocked down a few pegs. I thought they should have tossed him out on his ass. I was so hurt and angry to know that he did something like that to mine and Vicki's little girl. I'm still pissed about it. It's the main reason I agreed to help Adam when he escaped last year."

"How did he even know where to find you?" Matt asked.

"Danny." Maury whispered.

"But Linderman's dead."

Maury turned to Matt, his expression filled with sadness and shame. "No. He's not." As Matt's eyes widened, Maury nodded. "I brought him back the day after he died."

"You did what?" Matt stared at him. "How? Why?"

"He had a contingency plan, Matt. He knew that he had a lot of enemies and he had a plan in place just in case one of those enemies came after him. One of his people came to me the morning after his death, the morning after there was some hell raised in Kirby Plaza. They told me that you had been seriously injured and that you were in the hospital. They told me that if I didn't do what they wanted, you wouldn't make it OUT of that hospital. Using my power, I snuck in here and made my way down to Adam's cell. I used my power to make the security officers turn off the cameras for a few minutes and made others think they were looking at an empty space as I walked past them. I went to Adam and tried to help him escape, but he didn't want to go. He'd heard that Angela's youngest boy was captured and was going to be in a cell nearby. He had a plan for HIM too, apparently. Instead, he offered up a bag of his own blood. I went to a nearby lab and got an empty blood bag and an I.V. kit and collected a bag of his blood. I took it back to Danny's people and they used an infusion the blood to heal Danny, bring him back from the dead. That's the last I heard from any of them, until Adam came to me a week before I ended up here. He had already killed Hector Mendez and he was preparing to kill Kaito. Charles and Arthur had both died before he could get to them, Roger was locked away in Canada, Evelyn and Delta had been dead for years. The only people left were me, him, Angie, Bob, Kaito and Vicki. He wanted me to kill Bob and Angie. He told me that if I did that, he'd spare Victoria. If I failed, Vicki AND Isabelle would die. He was pretty pissed off that I'd even come near Victoria, much less conceived a child with her. I agreed to do it. I guess, in Adam's eyes, I failed. I failed on purpose with Angie, I didn't want her to die. I've always liked her, even though she's always been kind of a bitch to me, but I wanted Bob dead just as much as he did, for what he did to Isabelle."

Matt leaned back in his chair, taking in all of what Maury had told him. "So you're saying that the main reason you did most of the bad things you've done over the years, were because of Victoria's rejection, or because Adam, Bob and Linderman forced you to, or because Victoria, Isabelle and my lives were in danger?"

"And because I was a selfish bastard." Maury lay back, his expression filled with sadness. "I'm sorry."

"Where is Linderman now?"

"Probably off with Adam somewhere, plotting all of our deaths."

"He's not with Adam."

Maury turned to Matt. "Why? Where IS Adam?"

Matt studied his father for a moment. "No one knows. Kaito's son disappeared with him, no one's seen him since. I figure that Adam's dead."

"I hope he is. For all of our sakes, I hope that's true."

"But Linderman-"

"-Keep away from him!" Maury shook his head. "Don't tell the girls that he's alive. I know they were close to him, mainly the twins-"

"-Mainly Miriam-"

"-but I think he had an ulterior motive for staying close to them. I'm not sure, but I think he's got something up his sleeve for them, him and Adam. You love her, Vicki's daughter? I know you're with her, but do you love her?"

Matt nodded. "Yeah, I'm in love with Miriam."

"Then keep her away from Linderman. I know you don't believe half of what I've said and I don't blame you. I know you're not going to listen to anything I say, for the most part, but please believe me and listen to me when I tell you to please, if you love that girl, if you value her life, keep Linderman away from her. He's no damn good. He was one of Adam's biggest supporters even BEFORE Adam resurrected him. Even if Adam's dead, whatever plans he had for those girls, Linderman will move heaven and earth to make sure that Adam's final plans for them comes to fruition. He had a following, Matt, a group of people that think he's practically the second coming. Whatever he wanted done, they'll do everything they can to SEE it done, whether he's still around or not and Linderman WILL lead them in it."

Matt nodded again. "Okay. I'll keep them away from him, but I'm not going to keep his resurrection from them. I think they'll be better protected if they KNOW that Linderman's alive and one of their father's followers."

"I guess." Maury smiled softly. "You love Victoria's daughter. History repeats itself."

Matt laughed. "I suppose it does."

"Be a better man than I was. Don't let her slip through your fingers. Hold onto her and don't let her get away like I let Vicki get away. Have the happiness that I couldn't."

"I plan on it." Matt yawned. "And on that note, I'm going to go to bed with my girlfriend. We didn't get much sleep BEFORE you woke up and I'm pretty beat."

"Goodnight, Matt." Maury watched as Matt got up and left the room. He lay back in bed, thinking of Victoria. Shaking his head sadly, he closed his eyes. "Damn you, Adam! You promised me she'd live, you son of a bitch."

* * *

Papeete, Tahiti

Sophie Page Munroe paced her hotel room listening to the report that the young woman sitting in a chair across from her gave her. As soon as she finished, Sophie turned and glared at her. "So that's IT? That's ALL you have for me?"

Lucinda Parks shrugged, her long, jet black hair moving like a curtain behind her. "That's it, what can I say?"

"You can say that you've found a way to get a hold of those silly little bitches and get my HUSBAND!" Sophie kicked a wall, grimacing as pain shot up her foot. "DAMMIT!" She sat on her bed, massaging her injured toe. The corners of her mouth curled down as she pouted. "So they're all together in that Primatech building in New York. There's no way that we can grab them OR their little sister THERE!"

Lucinda picked at her nails, bored at Sophie's outbursts. "We're just going to have to bide our time."

"And Nakamura? What do the people watching HIM have to say?"

Lucinda rolled her eyes. "I've already told you what they've said. If you weren't so busy trying to break your foot, you'd listen to me."

Sophie glared at her. "Repeat it again."

"He works, he goes home. Lather, rinse and repeat." Lucinda sighed as Sophie burst into tears. "What NOW?"

"I want my husband!" Sophie wailed. "I want him here NOW!"

"You're just going to have to wait, sorry." Lucinda stood and stretched. "You know, I can-"

"-Don't finish that sentence." Sophie wiped away tears. "Don't use that freaky little power of yours on ME!"

"I'm just saying. I can take away your sadness."

"Yeah, you can take away ALL emotion, can't you?" Sophie smirked and shook her head, her light brown hair tumbling around her shoulders. "Thanks, but I'd like to actually FEEL something, even if it's sadness."

"I manipulate emotions, I don't JUST take them away. I can make you feel elated and happy if you asked."

"The only thing that will make me happy is my husband." Sophie pouted. She looked up, smiling softly as the door to her hotel room opened. "Just the man I was looking for."

"Oh, I doubt that." Daniel Linderman purred as he entered the room.

"Do you have better news for me than Lucy?" Sophie asked.

"Not yet." Daniel sat beside Adam's wife and took her hand, patting it gently. "But I have contacts working overtime, following the twins and Hiro in the hopes that one of them will slip up soon."

"And if they don't?" Sophie asked.

Daniel smiled. "I've got a contact in Hartsdale that I've just heard from. A new door has opened, a new hope. An old friend has reawakened and I think with the right leverage, we'll be able to use him to get the information we want."

"And then?" Sophie looked up at Daniel, her pale blue eyes gleaming.

"And then, we'll bring Adam home." Daniel nodded softly. He smiled as Sophie squealed happily and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "There, there, My Dear. We'll bring him home very soon, and then we'll work on bringing his daughter home too."

Sophie let Daniel go and glared at him. "His daughter? Which one? WHY?"

"You'll find out the answers to THAT soon enough. Adam has had plans for both of his daughters for many years and there's one in particular that he wants us to gain access to first. I know the idea of having them around is rather unsettling for you, but I have a feeling that, once they're reeducated, they'll be VERY fine additions to our little family." Daniel winked at her. "You'll see."

* * *

Hartsdale, New York

Justine answered the door, her eyes puffy from sleep. She stared at Miriam as she entered the room with Isabelle. "What's going on?"

"Isabelle needs to stay in here with you." Miriam turned to her little sister. "AFTER we have a long discussion with her about ethics and her powers." Isabelle sighed and sat down on Justine's bed, her eyes downcast as Justine stared at her.

"Great." Justine sighed. "What the heck did you do?"

"Grab a chair." Miriam sat down beside Isabelle. "This is going to be a hell of a story to tell."


End file.
